


Behind the Walls

by orphan_account



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: AU, F/F, Prison AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:53:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6134386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kelley O'Hara is placed behind prison bars, she doesn't expect what comes to her. Will she be able to survive the most dangerous case she may every work?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prison AU! This is just a prologue, to get us started. I will update Starting Fresh soon, I just needed to clear my mind and writing the beginning of this one did that for me. 
> 
> Would you guys prefer me to give you 1,500-2,000 word updates closer together or 5,000+ word updates with more time in between? Both of these work with my schedule, just let me know what you'd prefer. 
> 
> Fair warning, this story will have heavy smut later on, hence the rating. I will warn you in the chapter notes.
> 
> Let me know what you think/if you're interested in where this is heading. Suggestions always welcome!

As soon as Kelley is escorted into the building, she feels out of place. She had no idea that this is what her career would come to. “We’ve got an inmate!” The Officer yells, as she pulls Kelley alongside her. The doors buzz open and Kelley is taken into a room where she is strip searched and handed her prison clothes. Kelley pays close attention to her surroundings, as she slides on the bright orange scrubs. She’s nervous. Nervous about her ‘sentence’. Nervous about the violent criminals she’s gonna have to spend time with. Nervous about being inside of a prison, in general. ‘What if my roommate’s a murderer?’ She thinks, as she’s handed a blanket and other supplies she may need. 

After she sees the prison doctor and is all clear to be assigned a cell, she’s escorted to a place that the CO’s have been calling ‘Cell Block 2’. “Good luck, Inmate. Solo is the only one without a cell mate.” Kelley looks up at the CO. She has light brown hair, only a little bit taller than Kelley, and is clearly Irish. I mean, the name on her uniform is O’Reilly, after all. Kelley doesn’t respond to her comment, but it sure doesn’t help calm her nerves. Kelley looks in each cell that they pass. It’s well past midnight, so mostly everyone is asleep, but she does pass one or two people who are sitting up in their bunks, almost as if they’re on guard. “Here we are.” O’Reilly says, as she opens the cell door. Kelley looks at her after a moment, confused as to why she wasn’t taking off the handcuffs that are holding her hands, securely, behind her back.

“Get in the cell, Inmate. I’ll take ‘em off when you’re in there.” Kelley nods, quickly, feeling completely unaccustomed to being seen as untrustworthy. She walks into the dark cell and waits for her hands to be free. “Breakfast is at 6.” The CO says, as she puts the handcuffs in her belt and walks away. Kelley sighs and turns around to see a tall woman, standing in front of her. The small amount of light illuminating her figure. “Woah!” Kelley, whisper-yells, while jumping backwards, startled by the unexpected presence being so close to her. “Shut up.” The woman, who Kelley presumes is ‘Solo’, says. Kelley looks up at her, nervously, while she’s met with a cold glare. “This is my house. You don’t talk to me. You don’t get in my way. You don’t make a mess. You clean the cell. You do as I say. Got it?” Kelley nods, before she even comprehends what she’s agreeing to. At this point, she’d agree to anything if it meant that this woman wouldn’t kill her.

“Good.” The woman says. “Bottom bunk is mine. Don’t touch it.” She states, seriously. Kelley almost makes a sexual remark about her being a bottom, but she doesn’t actually want to start off her prison stay on the wrong foot with her very intimidating cell mate. Kelley watches, as the brunette walks to her bunk and lies down, confidently. “Ca-Can I at least know your name?” She looks up, from her place on the bottom bunk. “You can call me Solo.” Kelley sighs at the use of an obvious nickname. ‘So now I’m in a cell with a woman, who looks like she could kill me with her bare hands, and I don’t even get to know her real name?’ Kelley thinks, as she climbs her way to the top bunk. 

Kelley lies, awake, in her bed for a large part of the night. She thinks about everything. The past twenty-four hours haven’t been kind to her. When she accepted this case, she didn’t know it would be like this. She didn’t know that her bosses wouldn’t be informing anyone within prison walls that she’s an undercover. She thought she’d get a luxury cell, some real food, a nice bed, no cell mate who might kill her. But nope. This is the real deal and if anyone here finds out what she’s doing, she’s dead. Kelley has no idea what time it is, no idea of when she’ll be able to eat, shower, go outside, maybe? No one has told her anything other than that breakfast is at 6 o’clock. Kelley sighs and tosses her body to her side. ‘This is gonna be a long 2 years.’ Kelley thinks as she stares at the concrete wall in front of her. She stays like that until she hears voices echoing through the cell block. “Wake up. Time for chow.” The CO’s say as they bang the keys against the cell doors, waking the inmates inside. She sees a CO, who she’d never seen before, approach the cell and look at her. ‘She’s pretty.’ Kelley thinks as she looks at the woman’s muscular stature, brunette hair pulled into a tight bun.

“Inmate, get up. Time for chow. We line you up in five minutes.” She walks away and Kelley sighs, in relief. ‘Finally, someone tells me something informative around here.’ She thinks, as she rolls off of her bunk. She sees Solo already awake and on the ground, doing pushup after pushup. Kelley ignores her, deciding that staying out of her way may be the only way to survive being her cell mate. After brushing her teeth, Kelley hears the cell doors start opening and more and more voices start sounding throughout the block. Finally, the brunette woman returns and opens the cell door. She looks at the woman, slightly confused. “Don’t you have to cuff us?” She asks, seriously, glancing from the CO to Solo. 

The CO looks at Kelley, skeptically. “Should I have a reason to?” She asks, trying to read Kelley’s body language. Kelley’s eyes widen and she shakes her head, quickly. “No. No, I just. I didn’t know. I thought-“ She cuts herself off before she makes a bigger fool of herself. Solo scoffs at her, giving her a brief glare, before pushing passed her and standing on the line, next to other inmates. The CO looks at Kelley, almost apologetically. “Be careful with Solo. She doesn’t fuck around. Get on the line, Inmate.” She says, seriously. Kelley catches a glimpse of the woman’s name on her way passed her, trying to figure out who she can and cannot trust in this hell hole. ‘Krieger.’ 

Everyone walks to the food hall with no problems, which surprises Kelley. When she pictured prison, she pictured people being cuffed at all times, not being allowed to talk to each other, fighting, plotting murder, and hatred. That’s not what she sees, however. She sees people chatting, some people skeptically glancing around, watching their back, but for the most part, people seem at peace with their current situation. They get their food and Kelley immediately start looking for places to sit. All that she sees is a sea of orange and there’s no open tables. Solo is sitting at a table by herself and Kelley is just about to approach her when, she hears a voice. “Newbie, come sit with us.” Someone says. Kelley turns to the woman, skeptically. She looks nice enough.

Kelley walks to the, mostly, full table and sits next to the brunette who called her over. “You were really about to go sit with Solo? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” She says, as she pops a Brussel sprout in her mouth. Kelley shrugs. “She’s my cell mate.” Everyone at the table turns their heads to look at her with horrified eyes. “You’re as good as gone.” One of them says, dramatically. Kelley rolls her eyes. She knows why she’s here and she knows why her boss made sure that she was placed with Solo. That doesn’t mean she has to like it, though. “Okay, here’s a rundown, Newb. After breakfast, we go back to our cells. Then, at 1, we have lunch. 3, we go to the yard for an hour. 5:30, we have dinner. 7, half of us shower. The other half showers tomorrow. We alternate days. It’s gross, but it’s how they do it here.” Kelley’s eyes widen, as she realizes the amount of time she’s going to have to spend with her cell mate. “I’m Lauren, but everyone calls me Cheney.” She says. ‘She seems too kind to be in prison.’ Kelley thinks as she gives the woman a small smile. “I’m Kelley.” She responds. They go around the table and introduce themselves. They seem like a tight knit group. 

Kelley looks around the table, trying to remember everyone’s names. Cheney, Tobin, ARod, Pinoe, Becky, Julie (JJ), Steph, Sam, and Rose. ‘I did it.’ Kelley thinks, triumphantly. “Everyone here has kind of formed little ‘cliques’, so to speak.” Arod explains. “We’re the biggest group in the cell block. No one really messes with us because we’re not in here for serious crimes and we stay out of everyone’s business. Over there,” She points to another group of woman sitting at the table next to ours. “is what everyone calls ‘the gang.’ They’re in here for some hard core shit and they’re out to get Solo. I swear they were hired for a hit or something because they watch her every move.” Cheney cuts in. “Don’t make assumptions, A. That’s how we get ourselves in trouble.”

ARod sighs, but nods, in agreement. “Well, anyway. They’re bad news. Stay away from them. The one with the short hair is Abby. She’s deemed herself the leader, but the pretty brunette one, Alex, fights for dominance of the group. So they have this internal battle with each other for leadership within the group and it’s actually quite entertaining." Steph cuts in. "And Alex has a crush on Tobin, it's fucking hilarious." She says, trying to stifle her laughter. Kelley notices the clear Boston accent in her voice. Tobin rolls her eyes and shoots a glare across the table to her friend. "The one with all the tattoos is Sydney. She’s actually pretty innocent and nice, but she got into the wrong crowd once she got in here and now she’s stuck with them.” ARod continues. Kelley nods, trying to remember everything that is being said to her. “The tall one is Alyssa. She never talks. Like ever. It makes her out to be even more intimidating than she looks. Then the last one, sitting on the end, is Carli. She doesn’t fight for power, but she has it. She has connections with anyone and everyone. You definitely want to stay away from her.” She finishes. I look at her, questioningly. “Why do they have it out for Solo?” Arod shrugs. “I think it’s gang related. But I can’t be sure.” Kelley nods, slowly, trying to put the pieces together. 

Her train of thought is broken by the sound of Cheney’s voice. “Over there, is kind of the miscellaneous group. They always sit together, but they’re not really friends. They just stick together to make sure they save their own asses. The two that are chatting away over there, are Moe and Kling. They’re always together. Always. They’re cell mates and everyone thinks that they’re fucking, but who knows. Then the blond one with the tattoos is Ash. She’s really nice to everyone, but from what I’ve heard, she’s fucking a CO. Then the cute one who’s playing with her food is Christen. She’s too paranoid to let anyone get close to her. She’s a little ball of anxiety, that one.” Kelley nods. She notices that Tobin perks up at the mention of the girl. ‘Interesting.’ Kelley thinks. “Then the older two in the middle are Boxxy and Lori. They’re best friends and they’re basically the peace makers in this crazy town. Everyone goes to them if they have a problem and they figure out a way to solve it.” Kelley looks around the cafeteria and goes over everything that she just learned. So far, she’s found herself a place to sit at meals, learned who everyone is, and learned a little bit of what’s happening with Solo and ‘the gang’. Kelley stays silent throughout the rest of the meal, silently trying to figure out what the fuck is going on with Solo and this dangerous group of women.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been feeling super down lately. I'm sorry for this long ass wait, I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm working on the Starting Fresh update. I'll try to get it out soon! The response I've gotten on this has been great! Please keep the comments coming, they really do help more than you know. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assault in this chapter. It's a little bit dark (I mean, it is Prison AU). Next chapter will be on the lighter side to make up for it.

 

 

Kelley lasted two weeks. Two weeks of biting her tongue, two weeks of forcing herself to leave her cell mate alone. But tonight, she can’t take it anymore. She can’t take the silence. So she peeks down over the edge of her bed, looking at the woman. Normally Solo is reading, but tonight she’s working out. Kelley lets her finish, watching the way she so easily lifts her body weight. Solo grunts, as she does another set of pushups. “Stop fucking staring at me.” She growls, glaring up at Kelley. Kelley flinches at the harsh tone. “I’m bored.” Kelley responds, simply. She rolls to the edge of her bed and hops down. Solo watches her every move, getting to her feet, defensively. Kelley looks up at her, before backing herself into the wall, sliding down and settling on the cold, concrete, floor. Solo clenches her jaw and shoots her another glare, before deciding the small woman isn’t a threat.

 

She wipes her forehead of sweat, before getting back on the floor, transitioning into a set of sit ups. Kelley sits, silently, picking at her nails. “My name’s Kelley.” She says, softly. “Ugh.” Solo groans, laying on the ground and wiping her face with her hands. “I don’t care.” Kelley sighs. Solo continues her workout for another few sets, before calling it quits. “Why don’t you ever talk to anyone?” Solo snaps her head to look at the girl, who’s still sitting on the ground. She shakes her head at her, in warning, before ignoring the question completely. She walks passed Kelley and goes to the steel sink, rinsing off her face and neck. Kelley groans. “I don’t think you understand. If I can’t talk, I’m going to go crazy in here. I just want to have a conversation.” She says, seriously, raising her eye brows at the taller woman.

 

Solo dries her face on her shirt, glancing at Kelley. “What, are you a child? This isn’t summer camp.” She responds. Kelley rolls her eyes at the woman. She doesn’t understand why she’s being so hostile. “Have you always been such a bitch?” Kelley asks, challengingly. She’s not trying to cause a fight, but if that’s what it’s gonna take to get Solo to talk to her, then so be it. Her plan, however, doesn’t work and instead of responding, Solo simply shoots her a glare before crawling into her bunk and facing away from her. Kelley sighs, in defeat, and quickly brushes her teeth before climbing into her own bunk and allowing herself to drift to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Kelley sighs, as she sits down on a bench and looks around. It’s a beautiful day outside and she’s relieved to be out of her cell. After talking to a brick wall last night, Kelley’s given up, for now. She’s well aware of the fact that her job is to get Solo to talk to her, to trust her, but she has a feeling that the trust is gonna have to come before anything. Kelley scans the yard for any sign of ‘the gang’. Her eyes finally land on Abby and Carli, who are sitting across from each other at a beaten-down picnic table. They’re speaking intently, whispering to each other. The five women have been pretty low key lately. It’s clear that they’ve been plotting something, but they haven’t acted on anything. She sees Alex and Tobin talking a few hundred feet to the right of Abby and Carli. Alex looks to be the one running the conversation, while Tobin is scanning the yard, her eyes settling on Christen.

 

Kelley finally sees Solo leaning back against the metal fencing, defensively. It’s clear that she knows she’s a target. She watches her back where ever she goes, she refuses to rely on anyone else, instead relying solely on her own instinct. Kelley has an internal battle within herself. She wants to try and get Solo to trust her, but she also doesn’t want to push her further away in the process. “You’re staring.” Kelley hears. She perks up, looking at the person who called her out. “I..no-I wasn’t. I was just thinking.” She stutters out, looking up at a blonde, tattooed woman that Kelley recognizes from her first meal. “Ash, right?”

 

The blonde nods her head and sticks her hand out. “It’s Ashlyn, but everyone calls me Ash.” Kelley nods and shakes the woman’s hand. “Kelley.” She responds. Ash sits down next to Kelley, looking towards where Solo is standing. “So, what’s your interest in Hope?” Kelley tilts her head at the taller woman. “Hope?” She asks, in faux-confusion. Ashlyn rolls her eyes. “Hope..you know, the one you’ve been eyeing up.” Kelley turns to look at Solo, who hasn’t moved from her spot. “Solo? That’s Solo.” Kelley answers, pointing to the tall brunette, who turns to looks towards them. She shoots Kelley a dirty look when their eyes meet.

 

“Yea, that’s Hope. Solo’s her last name. She really wouldn’t even tell you her real name? What a bitch.” Ash says, chuckling lightly. Kelley shrugs. “She doesn’t like talking.” Ash nods and sits down next to Kelley, leaning back against the bench. “She’s never really talked to anyone. Don’t take it personally.” The blonde responds. Kelley sighs and kicks at a pebble. “What’s she in for?” Kelley asks, casually. She already knows all about Hope Solo, but she needs to cover all her bases. “Drugs.” Kelley nods, slowly. They sit in silence for a few minutes, while Kelley analyzes the sort of hierarchy that’s happening within the yard. Hope seems to be the only one who doesn’t have a place.

 

Ashlyn excuses herself as soon as CO Krieger walks out, making a beeline straight for her. Kelley rolls her eyes. If she’s trying to be subtle, she’s failing miserably. Kelley sighs and stands up, deciding to try and gain more information while she still has the chance. They only have around a half hour left of yard time before they had to go back into the cell block until dinner. ‘At least I can finally take a fucking shower tonight.’ Kelley thinks, as she walks up to Cheney, Amy, and Pinoe. They’re all by the outdoor weight area, but none of them are lifting. Instead, they’re talking animatedly about something, while sitting on the rusty benches.

 

“Hey.” Kelley says, as she approaches. “Newbie!” Pinoe drags out the word, excitedly. Amy and Cheney smile up at Kelley, while Pinoe motions for the woman to sit next to her. “You guys get to shower tonight? I feel disgusting, I can’t wait.” Kelley says, as she sits. “Yup, us three, Tobin, Rose, and a couple other girls have our turn tonight. You’ll get used to the grimy feeling. It never really goes away.” Amy responds, crinkling her nose with the last part. Kelley nods. “Does Hope shower with us?” She asks, curiously. “What, you trying to see her naked?” Pinoe asks, raising her eye brows suggestively. Kelley rolls her eyes. “No.” She responds, simply. Cheney smirks at Pinoe’s comment, but nods to answer Kelley’s question. “The gang somehow changed the rotation so they all shower with us too. Probably to get more time with Solo.”

 

Kelley nods, slowly, and glances to where Hope is standing. “You think they’re trying to kill her?” Kelley asks, curiously. Cheney tightens her lips, but nods. “I don’t see any other reason they’d be making so much of an effort to get to her.” She answers, honestly. Kelley nods. “Amy!” Kelley hears someone shout. She glances to an open space within the yard. JJ is waving the four of them over to where the rest of the small group of friends is waiting. “Come on. We’re playing a game of pickup!” She yells, before turning back towards the rest of the group. “I’m in.” Pinoe states, before getting up and jogging over to the others. “You ever play soccer?” Cheney asks. Kelley nods. “I played for a while. Why? Is that what they’re doing?”

 

Cheney nods, in response. “Come on. We need a tenth player” She states, simply. ARod and Cheney stand up and walk to the group with Kelley trailing behind them. The group played a game of 5 v. 5 in the small space that they had to work with. JJ, Cheney, Steph, Rose, and Kelley were one team, while Becky, Sam, Tobin, Pinoe, and ARod were on the other. With no goalkeepers, it was a high scoring game, but ARod came up big for Becky’s team and won the short game just before they were all lined up to return to their cell block. Kelley and Hope both make their way into their cell and Kelley immediately goes to the sink to rinse the sweat off of her face.

 

“So your name’s Hope?” She asks, as she dries her face. The taller woman stiffens and looks at Kelley reservedly. “What’s it to you?” She fires back. Kelley rolls her eyes. “Nothing. Forget I mentioned it.” She replies, climbing up onto her bunk. The pair sit in silence, busying themselves the best they could until it was 5:30. Kelley hears the officers start making their way down the cell block. “Time for chow!” They yell, repeatedly. This time, O’Reilly is the officer that approaches Kelley and Hope’s cell, sliding open their cell door and pointing to the line for them to stand on. Kelley goes through the motions and gets her food then makes her way over to the table, where the rest of the group is waiting. They make small talk as they eat. Kelley learns that Sam and Steph are cell mates. She also learns the rest of the group’s cellys. Many of them are paired together, such as Cheney and Amy, Pinoe and Rose, and Becky and JJ. The only person who’s paired with someone outside of the group of friends is Tobin, who somehow got stuck with Alex.

 

Time flew by after dinner and Kelley felt like she barely sat down before they were being gathered up for showers. Kelley lets out a sigh of relief, as they walk down to the locker room area. The officers watch while they all grab a towel and a bar of soap, along with a small bottle of shampoo that they provide the inmates with. Kelley goes to a shower head that’s in the back corner. Cheney and Amy follow her lead and take the two heads next to hers, while Tobin, Pinoe, and Rose all go on the other side of the large room. Kelley watches as Christen enters the room, slowly. Tobin motions her over and Kelley watches as Christen turns on the shower head next to Tobin’s. The two of them talk softly to each other, sneaking small smiles.

 

Kelley minds her own business, scrubbing her body of all the prison grime. “Cell Block D needs backup. Now.” A voice sounded over Officer Krieger’s radio. The woman looked confused for a few seconds, before slowly backing out of the room, leaving the inmates alone. The atmosphere in the shower area immediately turns dark and everyone turns their body so their back is against the tiling of the shower walls. Kelley follows their lead, knowing she shouldn’t let herself be seen as prey. Kelley watches as Abby, Carli, Alex, Alyssa, and Sydney make their way over to her side of the room, stopping in front of Hope. Hope backs herself against the wall and squares her shoulders, challenging them. It’s almost like she’s been expecting this to happen. Kelley immediately looks for any sign of weapons. Shanks, homemade knifes, etc. When she sees nothing, she allows herself to relax a little bit. Everyone watches, in silence, as the 5 women stare her down. ‘I don’t care how tough she thinks she is, she’s about to get her ass kicked.’ Kelley thinks, as she watches the situation play itself out.

 

Abby nods and suddenly Alex and Alyssa each grab one of Hope’s wrists, essentially pinning her to the wall. Carli and Syd stand off to the side, watching carefully. Abby steps forward, getting in the slightly shorter woman’s face. She brings their noses together and stares down the brunette. Hope doesn’t back down, keeping her eyes locked with Abby’s. Out of nowhere, Abby kisses Hope roughly, bringing an immediate reaction out of the shorter woman. Alex and Alyssa hold her wrists against the wall, as Hope struggles to get free. Abby brings her hands up and palms Hope’s breasts, before pulling back. Hope coughs a few times, trying to catch her breath from the short assault. Kelley sees blood start dripping down from Hope’s lips from what she can only assume to be a bite. Abby leans back in and licks Hope’s neck, starting from the base and ending next to her ear. She whispers something into the brunette’s ear, while bringing her hand in between her thighs, hovering over the woman’s most intimate area. Kelley takes a small step forward, prepared to intervene if the assault went any further, but just as she did, Abby takes a step back. “Show’s over.” She says, loudly. She motions for the rest of the gang to follow her as she leads them back to their area of the shower.

 

Everyone goes back to their normal shower routine, while Kelley lets her eyes wander back to Hope. Like the rest of the women, she’s gone back to washing her body, however Kelley doesn’t miss the way her hand shakes slightly as it slides the bar over her skin. After Krieger returned and everyone was dried and redressed, the inmates lined themselves up in the locker room, prepared to go back to their cells. “Solo. Why do I see blood?” Krieger asks, loudly, as she stops in front of Hope. Hope brings her hand to her lip, only to find that she hadn’t stopped bleeding yet. “I bit my lip.” She answers easily. Krieger nods, accepting the response. “Alright, inmates, let’s go.” She says, commandingly.

 

Kelley goes about her nightly routine, while Hope stays in her bunk, lying on her back. “You okay?” Kelley asks, casually, while she makes her bed. Hope doesn’t respond. Kelley sighs. ‘I might as well try and push her limits.’ She thinks as she places her pillows on her freshly made bunk. “Why did you lie to the CO?” Kelley asks, crouching down next to Hope’s bunk. Hope doesn’t even look at the shorter woman. “You’re just gonna let them get away with a sexual assault?” She presses. The term seems to get Hope’s attention. “Fuck off.” She replies, coldly.

 

This doesn’t deter Kelley, however. “No.” Hope snaps her head to shoot Kelley a heavy glare. “Why are you letting them get away with it?” Hope clenches her jaw and for a second, Kelley thinks she might have pushed too far, but then she gets a response. “Because they’ll kill me if I got them sent to the hole.” Kelley furrows her eye brows. “What’s ‘the hole’? Solitary?” She asks, dumbly. Hope nods, subconsciously running a finger over her lip. “Did it stop bleeding?” Kelley asks. She gets another nod in response, which is more than she expected. “Are you okay?” She presses, once again. Hope rolls her eyes at the question. “I’m fine.” She states, simply, before rolling away from the smaller woman. Kelley sighs and starts standing up, before deciding to try to push it just a little further. “What did Abby say to you?” Hope stiffens at the question, but she doesn’t respond. Kelley bites her lips and stands up after not receiving an answer. This isn’t what she had in mind. If they wanted to hurt Hope (badly) today, they could have. They could have killed her right there, but they didn't. It's almost as if they were showing her that they could overpower her if they wanted to. This case was supposed to be about trying to figure out why the gang is trying to kill Hope Solo. However, this is starting to look more and more like torture through use of violence and scare tactics. Now she just has to figure out what they’re trying to get out of torturing the woman.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter moves things along a little bit. It's almost all Hope/Kelley interaction.  
> Thanks for being patient! I wanted to get my other story done so I could switch my focus completely. Let me know what you think! :)

 

 

“I’m not doing it. I did it last time.” Kelley argues, as she climbs back up to her bunk. “You splash water everywhere every time you use the fucking thing, you clean it.” Hope responds. They’ve been arguing since lunch about who’s cleaning the sink. Kelley refuses, clearly no longer intimidated by the taller woman. A couple days ago, Hope had, accidentally, admitted to her that she’d never actually hurt someone unless her life were in danger. Hope is trying to remain calm, but the questioning of her power and authority within the prison is starting to get to her. “You never clean.” Kelley grumbles. The two have created a dynamic between them in the past few weeks. Since the incident in the showers, Kelley has pushed Hope slowly, trying to build some sort of trust. Now, it seems, they’ve hit a point where Kelley is unwilling to take orders from her.

 

“I don’t have to. I own this fucking place, Kelley.” Hope growls. Kelley rolls her eyes from her place on the top bunk. “Clearly you don’t. Last time I checked, you let the gang manhandle you whenever they please.” As soon as the words flow out of her mouth, she regrets them. Hope jumps up from her bunk, the top of her head just above Kelley’s thin mattress. She remains silent, instead shooting Kelley a deadly glare. “I swear to fucking god, I will make your life hell. Don’t talk about shit you have no idea about, you little bitch. Clean. The. Fucking. Sink.” Hope says in a deadly serious tone.

 

Kelley nods. “Okay, okay, I’ll clean it.” She agrees. Hope’s glare still burns through her, as she makes her way off of her bunk and past Hope. She makes her way to the sink and slowly wipes it clean. Hope sits back down on her bunk and allows her eyes to flicker towards Kelley, who glances up at her. “I shouldn’t have said that.” Kelley states, as she finishes up and walks back towards the bed. Hope rolls her eyes. “If you’re about to apologize, save your breath.” She says, looking up at Kelley. “I’m sorry.” The shorter woman says, anyway. Hope shakes her head. “Just shut up.”

 

Kelley bites her lips, questioning whether she should keep pushing or not. “Why are you so set on pushing everyone away?” She asks, over-confidently. Hope raises her eye brows and shoots her a dirty look. “I don’t even know who you are. You could have been sent to kill me, for all I know.” Hope replies, easily. The shorter woman sighs and walks closer to the bed, hesitating for a moment. ‘Fuck it.’ She thinks, before taking a seat next to Hope, who immediately scoots herself away from her. “Get away from me.” Hope growls, shooting daggers at the woman next to her. Kelley shakes her head and sits cross-legged on the thin mattress.

 

“You know, we could be friends if you’d stop being so bitter.” Kelley mentions, picking at her nails nonchalantly.  Hope sighs and shakes her head, sitting up in her bunk so she’s leaning against the wall. “I don’t want friends.” She states, simply. Kelley doesn’t falter. “Why not?” Hope leans her head against the hard wall behind her. “Because I don’t trust anyone.” Kelley raises her eye brows. “Well, obviously.” Hope tightens her lips and the two fall into an uncomfortable silence. Hope lets her eyes wander to the cell door, looking into the darkness of the cell block. It’s well past midnight and the prison has fallen silent, for the most part. The occasional sound of slamming cell doors in the distance.

 

“Why are you hanging around with Cheney?” Hope asks, suddenly. Kelley looks at her for a few seconds. “Why do you care?” She fires back. “She was the first one to befriend me and they’re nice people. Maybe if you’d get off your fucking high horse you wouldn’t be so alone.” She finishes, giving Hope a hard look. Blue meets hazel and for a split second, Kelley’s sure she saw hurt flash through the woman’s eyes. It’s quickly replaced by a cold glare of her own. “I don’t need to rely on people in here. When you get out, you’ll never see these people again. They aren’t your fucking friends, Kelley. Get over yourself.”

 

Kelley smirks at the woman’s defensive comeback. The two stare at each other, sizing the other up. “Maybe if you didn’t have a stick lodged up your ass, you’d know that having people you can trust, people you can talk to, is a good thing.” Kelley retorts. Hope shakes her head a little bit, before breaking the stare down. “I’m going to sleep, so either get off my bed or move over.” She says, with no bite behind her words. Kelley’s surprised by the lack of fight Hope put up. She doesn’t mention it, however. Instead, she scoots her body over. Hope lays down, as far away from Kelley as she can get. “You’re not gonna make me move?” Kelley asks, semi-confusedly. “It’s not worth the fight.” She hears, in response. She smiles, softly, to herself, before laying her body down and closing her eyes. She’s making progress, but is she making enough progress that she’ll gain the woman’s trust and, in turn, solve this case?

 

* * *

 

 

“Have you made any progress with the target?” A voice says. Her one phone call a month is dedicated to her boss. So far, Kelley seems to be making quite the impression at headquarters. It seems that her willingness to take on this dangerous job has some of the higher-ups taking notice. Kelley looks around her, making sure she was truly alone, before responding. “I’m slowly gaining trust. I’ve definitely made progress with that. I’ve been watching the gang closely. They haven’t made any moves since the shower assault.” Kelley replies.

 

She allows her eyes to wander to her surroundings. The last thing she needs is someone overhearing this conversation. “Okay. Well you know what you need to do. You have plenty of time so don’t rush this. Do you need anything or have any questions?” Kelley thinks for a few seconds. “I think the gang may be in the process of planning an attack. If that happens, do I protect the target?” The last thing Kelley wants is for something to happen to Hope, but she also knows that she can’t fend off five people by herself. She hears an airy chuckle from the other end of the line. “No.”

 

* * *

 

 

Hope and Kelley have been dancing around any sort of heavy topics of conversation. Instead, they spend most of their time keeping to themselves. Hope is giving Kelley the silent treatment, while Kelley refuses to give her the pleasure of winning. It’s almost become a contest of who can out last the other. Kelley knows she has to allow Hope to come around on her own time. She’s pushed her all that she can, for now. Now, it’s about waiting for her to spark a conversation. After a week of little to no talking between the pair, Kelley almost gives in. She’s never been good at being quiet, but this is a necessary aspect of her job. She has a lot of people counting on her to solve this case with no casualties involved.

 

Surprisingly, one night after chow, Hope gives in. Kelley is climbing up to her bunk when she hears a voice. “You wanna see something?” Hope asks. She’s sitting on her bed, her feet spread out in front of her. Kelley freezes for a second, before climbing back down. She bends down so she can see the other woman. “What?” Kelley asks. Hope motions to a worn down notebook that’s sitting in her lap. “You wanna see something?” She says again. Kelley squints her eyes at her, suspiciously, before slowly climbing into Hope’s bed. She settles next to her, bringing Hope’s thin blanket over her legs.

“What?” Kelley asks after a few seconds of silence. Hope sighs and opens the notebook. She flips through the pages, quickly, until she finds what she was looking for. Kelley looks at her, expectantly, as Hope picks up what looks to be a small image. “This was 5 years ago.” Hope says, softly, as she hands the picture to Kelley. Kelley looks down at the photo, noticing how young, free, Hope looked. “I-Is that Carli?” Kelley asks, hesitantly. Hope nods, in response. “We were best friends. Met in high school.”

 

“What happened?” Kelley asks, running her finger over the image. She glances up at Hope. “Do you know what I’m in here for?” Hope asks, ignoring the question. Kelley shrugs. “Someone mentioned that you’re in for drug trafficking.” She mentions, indifferently. Hope rolls her eyes. “Of course.” She mumbles under her breath. Her eyes settle on Kelley and she nods. “Well that ‘someone’ is right.” She says, a little shortly. Kelley opens her mouth to respond, but Hope is quicker. “Let’s just say that Carli betrayed me and jumped ship.” She says. Kelley doesn’t mention the vagueness of the explanation. She knows this might be all she gets from the other woman right now.

 

“What do you mean?” Kelley asks, curiously. Hope shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. This is me giving you a chance. If word gets out that Carli and I used to be friends, I’ll know it came from you. Don’t make me regret trusting you with this.” She responds. “Why are you all the sudden ‘giving me a chance’? Kelley asks, handing the image back to Hope, who, in turn, puts it back into the notebook and under her pillow. “You’re the first one who’s ever tried talking to me. Everyone else is too scared.” She chuckles with the last part. “So I figured I would try and see how trustworthy you really are and then maybe, just maybe, we can be friends.”

 

Kelley smiles wide, earning a light glare from Hope. “I knew you liked me.” Hope shakes her head, quickly. “You’re still annoying, but at least you aren’t bad to look at.” She retorts. Kelley narrows her eyes at Hope. “Is that your sad attempt at flirting with me? Because if it was, you need some work.” Hope scoffs. “I could have any girl in this place.” She replies, a cocky grin spreading across her face. Kelley shakes her head. “I’m pretty sure everyone is too scared to even look at you the wrong way.” Hope shrugs. “Not everyone.” She says, in response.

 

Kelley looks at her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what the other woman meant by that. “Wait, you’ve been with someone in here?” She asks, clearly surprised by the revelation. “A few people. No big deal.” Kelley feels a wave of something hit her. ‘Jealousy?’ Kelley thinks, confusedly. She’d never really thought of Hope in that way. Probably because she has a job to do. ‘Job, Kelley. You have a fucking job to do.’ Kelley shakes herself out of whatever train of thought her brain took her to. “Who?” She asks, raising her eye brows. Hope smirks. “You don’t need to know.” Kelley looks at Hope for a few seconds, allowing her eyes to trail across the woman’s features.

 

“I do need to know.” Kelley replies, nodding her head. ‘You don't really need to know. It has nothing to do with the investigation.’ Kelley ignores her subconscious. When she sees that Hope isn’t gonna tell her, she tries a different approach. “Please?” She begs, looking at Hope with wide, pleading eyes. Hope scoffs. “What are you, 5?” She asks. Kelley brings herself up onto her knees and crawls the short distance between them. Hope looks at her, suspiciously, but doesn’t move to stop her. “Please?” She says, again, settling in front of the other woman. “Alex is one of them.” She says, nonchalantly. Kelley raises her eye brows. ‘Maybe it has more to do with the investigation than I thought.’ Kelley thinks.

 

“It was before she got caught up with the gang.” She clarifies. Kelley leans back, sitting on her calves. “How do you-where do you even…?” She trails off, hoping she got her point across. Hope laughs, lightly. “She was my celly for a while, before she got herself moved to be with Tobin. It only happened once.” Kelley nods, slightly. She furrows her eye brows, trying to figure out why the thought bothers her so much. “So you had feelings for her?” She asks. Hope scoffs, shaking her head. “Feelings? For Alex? Never in a million years.”

 

“Then why would you…?” She trails off, once again. Hope shrugs. “She came onto me. I fucked her once and that was that.” Kelley nods. Hope looks at her, curiously. “Why do you care so much? Interested in someone?” Hope asks. Kelley’s eyes widen. “N-No, I just, I was just curious.” She says, nervously. Hope smiles, clearly seeing through the other woman’s lie. “You’re telling me if I offered, you’d say ‘no’?” She asks, confidently. Kelley gapes at her question, her mouth opening and closing, not knowing what to say. “Yes, of course I would. I wouldn’t-I couldn’t do that with you.” She stutters, nervously. Hope raises her eye brows.

 

“Oh yea?” Hope asks, moving closer to Kelley, slowly. “Are you sure?” She pushes. She moves her body so she’s on her knees and makes her way towards Kelley, slowly. “So if I kissed you, you’d push me away?” She leans towards her. Kelley moves her body backwards, leaning against the metal headboard. She doesn’t respond to Hope’s question, in some sort of daze. She watches as Hope leans towards her, their eyes locking. “If I kissed you right now,” She whispers, her eyes locked on Kelley’s, her mouth just inches from the other woman’s lips. “you would push me away?” She asks, again. Kelley’s eyes flicker to Hope’s lips for just a second. Hope smirks, before leaning in closer, her lips whispering over Kelley’s, refusing to travel the rest of the distance. Kelley takes a deep breath, her mind racing. ‘I can’t be feeling this way. This is a fucking criminal. I’m a professional, I can’t do this.’ She thinks, as her eyes move, once again, to Hope’s waiting lips.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger? Pls don't kill me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, you are seeing this correctly. This is the second update in two days, what even?   
> Like last chapter, this is pretty much all Hope/Kelley. There will be more interaction with the other girls in the next few chapters. 
> 
> Your comments on last chapter had me laughing. Keep 'em coming! :) Hope you like it! 
> 
> P.S. I updated this so quickly because I (kinda) felt badly about the cliffhanger. I'll try to have another update out by Saturday.

 

 

“I can’t.” Kelley whispers, her eyes meeting Hope’s. Hope raises her eye brows, clearly surprised by the rejection. She nods, leaning in, teasingly, before pulling away completely. She gives Kelley a small, slightly disappointed, smile. “One day.” She says. Kelley rolls her eyes. “You’re pretty cocky.” She replies. Hope scoffs. “Confident.” She corrects, easily, leaning back against the cold wall. “Well at least I know you want me.” Kelley says, giving her a wink. Hope shrugs. “Never said I didn’t.” Kelley falters. Hope’s high-level of confidence still surprises Kelley on a daily basis. For some reason, however, it attracts her to the woman even more.

 

Shortly after, Kelley goes back to her bunk. ‘So maybe I think Hope’s good looking. That’s okay, right? It doesn’t impact the job; I know how to be professional. But why did I get upset when I found out about Alex? Maybe I was just surprised.’ She thinks, as she lays her head on her pillow. She allows her eyes to drift closed, as she thinks about what she needs to do to keep a firm line between her personal feelings and the job that she was hired to do.

 

* * *

 

 

Every day, it seems, Kelley gains more information on Hope. The two have built a small structure of trust between them and it’s helped their friendship grow. Kelley even got her to clean the sink once, with a little bit of begging. As the days tick by, Kelley feels more and more weight settle on her shoulders to make progress with the case. She continues to buy herself more time, but it’s clear that her boss is getting impatient. All that she can truly do, for now, is continue building a relationship with Hope.

 

So far, Kelley’s learned small things about the other woman. A lot of it, she already knew because of the research she completed prior to beginning to work on this case. It’s the small, irrelevant things that make Kelley’s heart flutter. Like how Hope cut most of her own hair off when she was 7 and then hid in the closet in her bedroom because she was afraid she’d get into trouble. Or how Hope’s grandmother thinks she’s currently on vacation abroad because she doesn’t have the heart to tell her the truth. It’s the way Hope’s eyes light up when she talks about something she loves or something she’s excited about. It makes Kelley wonder how she got to this point. How did this woman, who gets overly excited about seeing her chickens when she gets released, end up in prison with multiple people trying to cause her harm?

 

The problem for Kelley, is that with every piece of information that she learns about Hope, her feelings grow stronger and stronger. She’s pretty sure that Hope feels it too, but she’d never admit it aloud. It definitely makes the job more difficult. She’s constantly distracted. Hope’s eyes, piercing through her. Her body, making it difficult for Kelley not to stare. Hope hasn’t made a move on her since their almost kiss, two weeks ago. Kelley thinks the woman might be waiting for her to make a move, while Kelley knows that any kind of personal feelings that could impact the case need to be ignored. What she didn’t expect, was for her boss to give her a task that came completely out of left field.

 

“Listen, O’Hara. I need you to get the information quicker. You and I both know that the gang isn’t going to remain silent for much longer. I don’t care what it takes. Be her bitch, wash her clothes, fuck her, for all I care, just have something for me by our phone call next month. I’ve gotta go. Headquarters is calling in. Stay safe.” And with that, Kelley hears the click of the line going dead. Kelley hangs up the phone and rests her forehead against the wall. ‘Is that even legal?’ Kelley thinks, as she allows Officer O’Reilly to cuff her.

 

When she finally arrives back to her cell, Hope isn’t in there. “Where’s Solo?” Kelley asks the officer. “She’s at medical.” Kelley’s heart drops to her stomach. “Is she okay?” She asks, forcing herself to remain nonchalant. O’Reilly nods. “She thinks she has the flu. Should be back soon.” She replies, before closing the cell door. Kelley nods and rubs at her wrists. Kelley goes to Hope’s bunk and takes a seat, waiting for the woman to return. She’s still not sure of what to do in this situation. Now her task is to resort to any measure necessary in order to get the information she needs. The problem with that is that her feelings are very much real and this could not only get herself hurt, but also Hope. She shakes the thought out of her head. ‘I’m allowing myself to be too emotional. I need to keep this at a professional level.’ She thinks, rubbing at her temples. It’s easier said than done. Once Hope smiles at her, she’ll be hers for the taking.

 

A few minutes later, Kelley hears the cell block door buzz open and footsteps coming her way. She gives Hope a concerned smile, upon seeing her. “You okay?” She asks, once Hope is inside the cell. The taller woman shrugs. “I’m fine. Just wanted to get out of the cell for a bit.” She replies, easily. Kelley rolls her eyes. “You would.” Hope shrugs, clearly unaffected. She crawls over Kelley and into her bunk. “How was your phone call?” She asks, casually. Kelley stiffens. ‘Does she know? Did she figure it out?’ Kelley thinks.

 

“It was fine.” She says, simply. Hope nods, glancing at the shorter woman. “Who’d you talk to?” She pushes, while reaching under her pillow to grab her notebook. Normally, Kelley is the one who asks most of the more personal questions. For the most part, Hope minds her business and worries about herself. “It was my mom. She’s worried about me.” Kelley says, remembering that aspect of her undercover training. She was told, specifically, to always have a cover for the monthly phone calls. “You tell her that you have your own, personal, body guard?” Hope jokes. Kelley rolls her eyes. Outside of their cell, Hope and Kelley rarely interact. Kelley sticks with her friends, while Hope keeps to herself. “Yup. I told her that my friend Lauren makes sure I’m completely safe.” She retorts, jokingly. Hope looks at her with raised eye brows.

 

“Lauren couldn’t keep you safe even if she tried. I don’t think that girl has done a pushup in her life.” Hope remarks. Kelley scoffs. “Oh, okay, tough guy.” Kelley glances at Hope, who’s doodling on a blank page of paper. Hope shrugs. “I could protect you.” She mumbles, softly, clearly distracted by whatever it is that she’s drawing. Kelley smirks at her. “Oh yea?” She nods. Kelley rolls her eyes at the woman’s distraction and swipes the notebook from the woman’s lap. “Hey!” Hope says, furrowing her eye brows, in confusion.

 

Kelley smiles at the slight pout forming on Hope’s face. “You’re not paying attention. I’m trying to talk to you.” Hope’s pout only deepens further. “I was trying to draw you something.” She says, petulantly. Kelley looks down at the incomplete picture. “What is it?” She asks, confusedly, looking up at Hope. Hope narrows her eyes, a little bit. “I wasn’t done.” She says. “I’m trying to draw you my chickens. You asked what they look like.” She says, seriously, before taking the notebook back. She closes it and tosses it to the foot of the bed. Kelley bites her lips, trying to bite back the smile that’s trying to make its way onto her face. If only the rest of the prison knew that big, bad, Hope Solo draws pictures of her chickens when she’s in her cell.

 

“You’re cute.” Kelley lets slip out. Hope looks to her, and squints her eyes, trying to figure out what Kelley meant by that. Kelley turns her head to look back at the woman. “I’m not cute.” Hope says, semi-seriously. Kelley rolls her eyes and reaches out to brush a stray hair out of Hope’s face. She lets her palm settle on the other woman’s cheek, not breaking eye contact. Hope’s eyes flicker to Kelley’s lips, but she doesn’t allow herself to lean in. She refuses to make the first move only to, once again, be turned away. Kelley leans forward, slowly, keeping her eyes on Hope’s for any sign of discomfort.

 

Kelley brushes her lips against the corner of Hope’s mouth. Hope lets out a breath at the unfamiliar feeling. She can no longer hold herself back and turns her head to catch Kelley’s lips in a soft kiss. Nothing about it is rushed. Kelley brushes her lips against Hopes, bringing both of her hands to the back of Hope’s neck. Her head immediately feels light, almost hazy. She’s intoxicated by the smell, the taste of Hope’s kiss. She captures the brunette’s bottom lip, while Hope allows her hands to move to Kelley’s back. She pulls Kelley on top of her. Kelley straddles the woman, allowing her hands to wander down her spine.

 

Hope pulls back first, letting out a long breath. She rests her forehead against Kelley’s, while her eyes remain on Kelley’s lips. “What was that?” Hope asks. She pulls back completely, her eyes moving to Kelley’s. Kelley bites her bottom lip and shrugs. “I don’t know.” She whispers, her eyes flickering to Hope’s lips. “You do know. You don’t just kiss someone without having a reason for it.” Hope retorts, crossing her arms across her stomach. Kelley rolls off of Hope’s thighs and sits next to her. She sighs, running her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know, Hope. I don’t know.” She says, once again. Hope clenches her jaw and nods, slowly. “I think I have feelings for you.” Kelley admits, softly. She looks at Hope’s face, trying to read her reaction. Hope’s eyes snap to meet Kelley’s. She shakes her head.

 

“You don’t have feelings for me.” She replies. Kelley tilts her head at her. “Yes, I do.” She reiterates. “You don’t.” Hope repeats. “It’s this environment. It’s wanting to have someone to cuddle up to at night. It’s wanting that sense of security. It has nothing to do with me as a person, Kelley.” She finishes. Kelley furrows her eye brows, immediately shaking her head. “It has nothing to do with the environment. It has everything to do with you.” She says, looking directly into Hope’s eyes. Kelley knows that she’s walking a thin line. Everything she’s saying is the truth, but now that it’s part of her job, it cheapens the moment in a very big way. Hope chews on the inside of her bottom lip, a nervous habit she has yet to break.

 

“So when you get out of here, you’re still gonna want to be with me even though I’m still gonna have a full year left to serve?” Hope asks. She continues before Kelley has the chance to reply. “You’re gonna want to come visit me? Is this gonna turn into a full blown romance? What do you want?” Hope asks, becoming agitated. Kelley looks at Hope for a few seconds, trying to figure out why her mood changed so drastically. She went from being content, to being flustered and almost appearing to be nervous, something Kelley’s never seen in Hope. She goes to answer the questions, before pausing to think. In reality, there’s no way for them to be together outside of prison. It has to be against some sort of rule that agents are not allowed to get romantically involved with the target of an ongoing investigation.

 

“I-I don’t know, Hope. I just don’t know. All I know is that, for now, I want to see where it goes. We’ll figure the rest out later.” She says, honestly. She looks at the taller woman. “How do you feel about it?” Kelley asks, softly. Hope sighs and glances at Kelley. “I just-I..” She sighs, in frustration, wiping her face with her right hand. “I’m not good with feelings.” She says, simply, glancing at the freckled woman. Kelley smiles. “Well, I could have told you that.” She says, letting out an airy laugh. Hope shrugs and looks away. They fall into a short silence. “I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want this, stop me.” Kelley says, simply.

 

Hope looks at Kelley, suspiciously. “You’re not gonna make me talk about my feelings?” She asks, her eye brows furrowed. Kelley smiles and shakes her head. She grabs Hope’s chin between her thumb and forefinger, before leaning in. Hope meets her halfway and immediately moves to take control of the kiss. She swipes her tongue along Kelley’s bottom lip, begging for entry. Kelley complies. Their tongues battle for dominance, before Kelley gives up the reigns, allowing Hope to have control. Hope pushes her body up, without pulling away from the kiss, and guides Kelley down to her back. Hope straddles her thighs, holding herself up with her left hand, while her right hand cups Kelley’s face.

 

Hope moves her lips away from Kelley’s, kissing a trail down her jawline and stopping at her neck. She explores Kelley’s skin, memorizing what makes Kelley squirm. Kelley moans at the feeling of Hope’s teeth nipping at her pulse point. “Fuck, we need to stop.” She breaths out. Hope doesn’t move to stop, instead sucking roughly at the base of Kelley’s neck. “Mmmmmm, Hope.” She moans, softly. Hope smiles against the freckled skin, before moving to continue. “Hope, stop.” Kelley says, pushing at the woman’s shoulders, gently. Hope looks up at Kelley’s flushed face. Her eye brows furrow, in concern. “I’m sorry, did I- did I hurt you?” She asks, suddenly nervous that she took things too far. She climbs off of Kelley and lays down on her side, facing the woman. Kelley shakes her head and grabs the back of Hope’s neck, pulling her into a lingering kiss.

 

“We just can’t do this right now.” Kelley says, her heart still thumping wildly in her chest. “They’re gonna be coming to get us for dinner soon.” She continues. Hope nods, in understanding. “Later?” She asks, cheekily. Kelley rolls her eyes, before shaking her head. “I’m not that easy, Solo.” Hope gapes for a few seconds, the feeling of rejection not sitting well with her. She’s never had someone say ‘no’ to her before. “Fine.” She says, rolling her eyes. Kelley smiles, placing a chaste kiss on Hope’s cheek. “You gonna sit with me at dinner?” Hope asks, after a few seconds of silence. Kelley scoffs. “Sit with you all alone at that big table? Not a chance. You can come sit with me and my friends.” She replies, stroking the back of Hope’s hand. Hope shakes her head. “I’m not sitting with them.” She says.

 

“Why not?” Kelley asks. Hope gives her a warning look. “I don’t like talking to new people.” She answers, honestly. Kelley nods, giving up on the argument, for now. Hope leans in and kisses Kelley. “We’ll just sit at our normal tables.” She whispers, as she pulls away. Kelley shrugs. “Okay.” She replies. “Time for chow!” A voice echoes through the cell block. Hope and Kelley share a look, before they stand up and prepare for dinner, both of their minds racing with the days’ events. Kelley’s mind goes straight to the danger of this situation. Hope probably thinks this is the start of something real between them, while Kelley knows that could never happen. The problem is that Kelley cares. She cares if Hope gets hurt or not. She shouldn’t. She should just do her job, get the information, and get out of there. But now, her mind is clouded with lust and she has herself in a situation where there is no winner. She’s allowed her emotion to impact her professional life and she knows, without a doubt, this is not going to end well.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on updating today, but here's the next chapter! It's a big one, in terms of context. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: A physical assault happens in this chapter.

 

 

The gang has been quiet. ‘Too quiet.’ Kelley thinks. She’s been keeping a close eye on them for the past few days. They’re planning something and Hope can sense it too. She’s been more on edge, more defensive. It’s their turn to shower tonight and there’s a tension in the air that makes it clear what’s gonna happen. The gang watches Hope carefully all day, catching the attention of not only Kelley, but a few of her friends. “They’ve got something planned.” Lauren mentions at lunch. Lauren and Amy are the only two who know about the change in Kelley and Hope’s relationship. Kelley thought it would be best to keep it under wraps, but she also wanted to be able to talk about it with her two, most trustworthy, friends. Kelley nods, in agreement.

 

“I don’t like it.” She mentions, glancing to the table where the five women are sitting. They’re speaking, quietly, amongst themselves. “Hope should just try to get out of going to the showers.” Amy suggests. Kelley tried getting Hope to swallow her pride and not shower tonight, but the woman has a score to settle and she refuses to run and hide. “I told her that. She thinks it’d make her look weak.” Kelley whispers, in response. The three of them are sitting at the far end of the table, while the rest of the girls are a few feet away, chatting about god knows what.

 

Kelley glances at Hope, who’s sitting at a table in the back corner of the room. Her eyes are zoned in on the gang. She clearly understands that whatever is coming to her, it isn’t gonna be good. Her eyes meet Kelley’s and they share a knowing look. Kelley sees the fear that underlies the stoic persona Hope portrays. It kills Kelley that there’s nothing she can do to stop them, nothing she can do to help. “What if we protect her?” Amy asks, looking at Kelley. “We could stop them.” Kelley gives her a smile. She wants to. She wants to help so fucking badly, but she can’t. Not only would that go against what her boss told her to do, but it would only anger the gang. “We can’t. They’ll turn against all of us and we all know you can’t fight for shit.” Kelley says, jokingly.

 

Amy rolls her eyes. “We could try.” Lauren looks at the blonde and shakes her head. Lauren is the calm head of the group. She always thinks things through before she does them and she always protects the people she loves. “We can’t, A. You know that. It’ll only turn them against us.” She says, seriously. Amy looks at her for a few seconds, before nodding. “I know.” She admits defeat. Kelley sighs, giving Amy an appreciative smile. They lighten the topic of conversation for the rest of lunch. Kelley laughs, lightly, at a few jokes Pinoe and Steph come up with. Her mind, however, is focused on a tall brunette with bright blue eyes.

 

Once they’re back in their cells after lunch, Kelley gives Hope some space. Hope goes straight to her bunk and turns away without even sparing her a glance. Kelley gets the hint and doesn’t try to talk to her about it. Instead she simply lays down next to Hope, showing her that she’s there for her. They stay like that until the officers start walking by, informing everyone that due to bad weather, there will be no yard time today. Kelley groans when Officer Krieger gives them the news. “I know. I’d like to be outside too.” She grumbles, before walking to the next cell.

 

Kelley _almost_ says ‘fuck it’ and sits with Hope at dinner. The only thing that stops her is the gang. If they know she’s close to Hope, they’ll just turn on her too. Kelley gives her a smile, before sitting down. She zones out throughout most of dinner. She eats her food, quietly, trying to keep her mind off of the growing tension that’s settling in the air. It’s an uncomfortable atmosphere to be in. No one can say anything. No one can stop it. But everyone knows what’s gonna happen.

 

Hope tries ignoring Kelley when they get back to their cell after dinner, but Kelley won’t have any of it. “Come here.” She says, trying to pull the taller woman into her for a hug. Hope pulls away. “Kell, I’m fine.” She snaps. Kelley sighs, in defeat. “You’ll be okay.” She whispers, as Hope goes to her bunk and turns away from her, once again. Kelley concedes defeat and promises herself she’ll be there through the fallout. If something happens tonight, she’ll make sure Hope’s okay.

 

* * *

 

 

Kelley watches, as Alex whispers something in Officer Krieger’s ear, while everyone gets in line to head to the showers. Krieger nods and mutters something back to the inmate. Kelley immediately feels angry. An officer is in on this? There’s something that irks Kelley in more ways than one when she sees someone, who’s supposed to be enforcing the law, get away with having part in criminal activity. Especially criminal activity that involves her friend. Girlfriend? Kelley isn’t sure what to call her, but one thing she does know is that she’s scared for her.

 

As soon as Officer Krieger conveniently has to “go help out downstairs”, everyone turns to look at the gang. Kelley’s eyes land on Hope, who’s back is already against the wall behind her. Hope’s eyes meet hers and Hope gives her a nod that says ‘I’m gonna be okay’. Once Krieger is out of sight; Abby makes a beeline for Hope. The other four girls follow quickly behind. Hope doesn’t break eye contact with Kelley, who’s struggling to remain still. Her first instinct is to protect. She wants to jump in and keep them away from her girl, but there’s nothing she can do to help.

 

“You gonna fight back this time?” Abby asks, a smirk making its way onto her face. Hope looks away from Kelley and stands nose to nose with Abby. She brings her hands up and pushes Abby back by the shoulders. Kelley’s eyes widen. This isn’t what Hope should be doing. Fighting back will only piss them off. Abby chuckles, glancing at her four friends, before bringing her fist back and swinging wildly at Hope. Hope ducks out of the way and goes after Abby. She brings her fist to Abby’s stomach, knocking the breath out of the woman.

 

As soon as the punch connects, Hope is grabbed by four sets of hands. She’s instantly lost her upper hand and doesn’t even know whose fists belong to whom. She just feels her body being pummeled. She drops to the ground and curls into herself, attempting to protect herself as best she can. “Pick her up.” Abby demands, angrily. Hope feels blood coming from her nose and she can only imagine how she’s gonna look once these bruises take form. She’s placed on her knees; her arms being held behind her by Alyssa. She glares up at Abby, refusing to give her what she wants to see: weakness.

 

Abby leans down so she’s in Hope’s face. “That was a dumb move.” She says, quietly. Everyone is silently watching the events occur. Kelley has tears streaming down her face, the shower water covers it up well enough that no one seems to notice. Lauren makes a sad attempt at comforting her without making it awkward with both of them being naked. Hope clenches her jaw, but doesn’t respond. Abby brings her leg back and kicks Hope directly between the legs. Hope lets out a pained yelp. She tries falling to the floor, but she’s held up by Alyssa. Hope allows a grimace to cover her face, doing her best to contain the tears that threaten spilling over.

 

Everyone hears the door to the locker room open and everyone turns back to their shower heads. Abby looks at Hope. “Ab, we have to leave her. Krieger is back.” Abby holds up a finger, before bringing her fist back and landing a hard punch to Hope’s jaw. Hope feels her body be thrown to the ground and hears hurried footsteps making their way away from her. She hears the door to the shower room open.

 

“Solo!” Krieger yells. “What happened to you?” She asks, in faux-anger. Kelley restrains herself. She could kill the woman right now, she’s so angry. Instead, she ducks her head under the stream in an attempt to further hide her falling tears.

 

Hope forces herself to her feet, her body in an excruciating amount of pain. She grimaces and slowly makes her way back to her shower head. “Nothing happened.” She says through clenched teeth, blood still dripping from her injured nose. Krieger looks at her for a second before nodding. “Okay.” She says, simply. Hope sighs, in relief. She’s known for months that Officer Krieger was an accomplice to the gang. She makes sure they have their time with Hope without officers there to witness it. Hope lets a few tears fall, as she faces the wall and allows the water to sooth her aching muscles, slightly. When she feels the water go cold, she quietly grabs her towel and dries herself off before redressing. Hope notices the sympathetic looks she gets from the non-gang members as they’re lead back to their cell block, but she doesn’t react to them. She doesn’t need their sympathy.

 

Once back in their cell, Kelley doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t push for answers, doesn’t make Hope talk to her. Instead, she allows Hope to settle in her bunk. The taller woman sits down with her back against the wall and her legs outstretched in front of her. Kelley, slowly, walks towards her, ducking into her bunk and sitting on the edge of the mattress. She sits quietly until she hears all movement within the cell block cease. The officers are off doing other things and probably won’t be back this way for at least another two hours.

 

She looks at Hope, who’s still wide awake and looking through the cell door and into the hallway. She brings her hand to the brunette’s thigh. Hope jumps, at the touch and snaps her eyes to Kelley’s. “Sorry.” Kelley mutters, softly. She scoots herself onto the bed more so she’s closer to Hope. She reaches out to Hope’s face and places her forefinger under her chin. “Let me see.” Kelley whispers, softly, turning Hope’s head so she can see her face. Kelley grimaces at the brunette’s swollen nose. “You should go to medical. That might be broken.” Kelley whispers, stroking Hope’s face with her finger.

 

Hope shakes her head. “They’ll just ask more questions.” She responds, softly. Kelley sighs, but nods, in understanding. “What else hurts?” Kelley asks, taking her hand away from Hope’s face and interlacing their fingers. Hope shrugs. “I’m fine, Kell. Don’t worry about me.” Kelley rolls her eyes at the woman’s stubbornness. “Let me see, Hope. You can’t walk around here with injuries.” Hope leans her head back against the wall and wipes at her face with her free hand. “I am fine, Kelley. Please.” She whispers, pleadingly. She just wants to forget this ever happened. The last thing she needs is her (kinda) girlfriend to see her like this.

 

Kelley looks at Hope for a few seconds, in silence. She scoots her way across the bed so she’s sitting next to her. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I care about you.” Hope shakes her head. “I’m not afraid.” She replies. Kelley holds in a groan. “Stop. Just stop.” She says, placing a hand on the woman’s thigh. “You’re afraid and that’s okay. You’re afraid of them, Hope. I would be too. Anyone would be afraid in your situation. Being scared doesn’t make you weak. Please stop closing me out.” Kelley whispers, exasperatedly. Hope clenches and unclenches her jaw, looking straight ahead. She doesn’t respond, however, she sits and stares at the wall, clearly deep in thought about something.

 

Kelley doesn’t know how long they sit in silence, Kelley’s hand placed firmly on Hope’s knee, before the brunette finally speaks. “They’re using me as a pawn.” She says, suddenly. Kelley looks at the side of her head. “What do you mean?” She asks, softly. “I’m a fucking pawn in their game. All they care about is money, Kelley. Carli and Abby will do whatever it takes to get more money, even if it means making me miserable.” She says, softly. Kelley doesn’t respond, trying to put the pieces together. “Hope, what is going on?” She finally asks. Hope sighs, loudly. “There’s just so much that happened, Kelley. I don’t know how to make all of this stop.” She says, sadly, turning her head to look at the shorter woman. “Why are they hurting you?” Kelley asks, keeping her voice down in an effort to keep Hope calm.

 

“My old gang traffics ‘blow’ over to Mexico to sell it in bulk. Carli and Abby’s gang does the same thing, in the same area. Their gang wants that turf all to themselves, so they’re using me. They think that by hurting me, by essentially torturing me, they’re sending a message to my gang that they need to stop stepping on ‘their’ turf.” Kelley gapes at the large amount of information she just received. This is why she’s here. This is why they needed her in here. For this moment. “Who’s your gang?” Kelley asks, playing along. “The Future Kings. I used to be one of the ‘big fish’ within the gang, but now I’m in here. Before I came in, I told them I wanted out. We were never the type of gang to force people to stay so they let me go. That’s why we’re so loyal. No one is forced to stay, but almost everyone wants to.” Kelley nods. “So who’s their gang?” Hope shakes her head and her eyes become dark at the thought of the rival gang. “The Irish Jesters. They’re brutal. They’ll kill their members if they try to leave.” She admits, angrily.

 

Kelley takes in the information for a moment, feeling somewhat guilty. This is her job, what she’s here for, but the fact that Hope is trusting her with this information when she doesn’t deserve that trust makes Kelley feel sick. She knows she needs to get to the bottom of this, however. “So they’re doing this to you to try and get your old gang to stop bringing drugs to Mexico? How are you guys even getting the drugs over the border?” She asks, trying to seem clueless. Hope smiles. “Let’s just say Border Patrol isn’t all that strict if they’re offered a good price.” She says. “And yes. What they don’t know is that I have no affiliation with my gang anymore. I mean, they know what’s going on in here and they feel badly that it’s happening, but they’re not gonna stop selling just for me.” Hope finishes, looking to her lap. “There’s no way out of this.” She mentions.

 

Kelley nods, slowly. “So what happened with Carli?” She asks. Hope chuckles darkly at the question. “She’s a traitor.” She starts, shaking her head. “She was with our gang and everything was great. Then she and I got into a fight. She wanted me to leave our gang and move to the Irish Jesters with her. Apparently she had a problem with the leader of our gang. In reality, I think she just wanted to be in control and he wouldn’t allow it. I don’t believe in jumping gangs so I refused. She hated me after that. She said I ‘wasn’t a good friend’ and ‘deserved what I had coming’. So she left and I stayed. She’s hated me ever since.”

 

Kelley sighs and stays silent for a few seconds, digesting the information. She leans up to kiss Hope’s cheek. “How often do they bring drugs over the border?” Kelley whispers, against her skin, unable to contain herself. Hope looks at her, suspiciously, for a few seconds. “Why do you care?” She retorts, slowly, looking at her through narrowed eyes. Kelley shrugs. “I don’t know. Was just wondering.” She says, too quickly. Hope scoots away from Kelley, keeping her eyes on the shorter woman. Kelley glances at her and she knows. Hope knows. “Please tell me I’m wrong.” Hope says, softly, a look of betrayal plastered on her face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it. :) Sorry for making you wait a little while after that cliffhanger, but I think it gave me more time to make this chapter a little better than it would have been if I had posted it yesterday.
> 
> Fair WARNING: There is (angry) smut in this chapter. Love it or hate it. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 

 

“H-Hope, it’s not what you think.” Kelley stutters, watching as the brunette scrambles off the bed and away from her. “It’s not what I think?” Hope whispers, hastily. “Please enlighten me.” She says, motioning, wildly, with her hands. She’s immediately gone into defense-mode and Kelley can see her shutting down. Kelley scoots herself to the edge of the bed so her feet are hanging off the side. “Please come sit down.” She whispers, motioning to the bed next to her. Hope scoffs and begins pacing back and forth, limping slightly. She mutters to herself, before stopping in front of Kelley. “Tell me.” She growls, her eyes piercing through Kelley’s. “Are you are fucking cop?” Kelley looks down and away from her, before nodding. She hears Hope let out a soft whimper at her confirmation, flooding her with guilt.

 

“It’s not- It’s not like that though.” Kelley stumbles over her words. Hope clenches her jaw and takes a step back, a look of realization covering her face. ‘None of this has been real.’ She thinks, before speaking. “So you’ve been using me? You used me to get information? I trusted you, Kelley, I could get killed for informing a cop!” She exclaims in a hushed tone. Kelley places her face in her hands, trying to hold back the emotion that’s ready to spill over. “I know.” She whispers, lamely. Hope shakes her head and rubs her face with her hands. “What else do you need to know?” She looks at Kelley with pained eyes. Kelley looks up to meet her eyes. “What?” She asks, confusedly.

 

Kelley sees that the woman is shaking. Hope shoots her a piercing glare, before responding. “Well, you obviously need more information, Officer O’Hara. Is that even your real name?” She asks, her eyes shining. She continues before Kelley can get out a response. “Go ahead, ask me. I’m dead once someone finds out anyway.” She finishes, jutting her jaw out at Kelley, in faux-confidence. Kelley closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” She admits, honestly. Her stomach is churning with this change in conversation. She wasn’t sure how she wanted this situation to play out, but this is the last thing she wanted to happen. She didn’t want her to find out like this.

 

She stands up and walks, slowly, over to the woman. Hope shakes her head and backs herself against the far cell wall, before sliding down and sitting on the cold floor. She glances at Kelley, who follows her but keeps a few feet between them as she kneels down in front of the agitated brunette. “Are you gonna tell everyone?” Kelley whispers, nervously. Hope shakes her head, her eye brows furrowed. “That’s what your worried about? You’re worried about the fucking case? I trusted you.” She repeats, looking away from Kelley and down to her, slightly, shaking hands. “I don’t trust anyone, but I trusted you.” She whispers, almost to herself. Kelley’s eyes fill with tears and she reaches out to touch Hope’s knee. Hope pulls away and shakes her head at the woman. “Don’t.” She whispers, angrily. “Everything was real.” Kelley blurts out. Hope’s eyes immediately have fire in them. “Don’t say that to me. Don’t fucking say that. Nothing about this was real. You used me. You used me for information, you used me to have someone to go to sleep with at night, you made me think you care about me. I told you things that I don’t tell anyone, Kelley. I don’t talk to people. You-You..” She trails off and stands up, angrily, a grimace making its way onto her face from moving her injured body so quickly. Kelley follows suit and watches as Hope closes into herself.

 

“Can you just listen to me for a second?” Kelley asks, pleadingly. Hope doesn’t move and doesn’t respond. “Okay. Just listen.” She continues, carefully. She takes a small step closer to the taller woman. “I have feelings for you. Very real feelings. I shouldn’t be telling you this, I could lose my job, but I’m telling you because I need you to believe me. Everything that happened between us was real. I can’t make any of that up.“ Hope brushes past her. Kelley turns to watch her walk away, while Hope turns back around to face her. “Don’t. Don’t do this.” Hope says, pointing an angry finger at the freckled woman. She’s becoming more and more agitated by the second. “What do you want from me?” She asks, her voice small. Kelley takes a step towards her but Hope moves away, a hurt expression plastered on her face.

 

“What do you want? More information? Just ask for it. You want me to not say anything to anyone? I’ll keep my mouth shut. Just stop fucking with my head.” She says, softly. Kelley opens and closes her mouth a few times, her mind unable to come up with a valid response. Hope looks at her and her eyes become dark. She walks towards Kelley and stands in front of her. “You want my body? Take it.” She says, in a broken whisper. Kelley looks into blue eyes and she almost whimpers at the amount of pain she can see swirling within them. Kelley takes a step towards Hope, standing nose to nose with her. “I have feelings for you.” She says, looking directly into Hope’s eyes.

 

Anger covers the brunette’s face and she snarls at the shorter woman. “Stop fucking saying that. You can’t have feelings for anyone. What do you want from me, Kelley?” She asks in an angry whisper. She grabs Kelley’s arm and walks to the wall so her back is against it and the shorter woman is in front of her. Kelley lets it happen. She knows Hope won’t hurt her, no matter how angry she is. They’re nose to nose, once again, sharing air. Kelley looks into the guarded blue eyes in front of her. Hope grabs Kelley’s wrists and brings her hands to her breasts, roughly. “Go ahead.” Hope whispers, looking down at the woman. “Do what you want.” She finishes, in a broken whisper. Kelley gapes at her, shaking her head. “Hope, this isn’t what I want.” She responds, pulling her hands away from the taller woman. Hope chuckles, darkly, and flips them around so Kelley’s back is against the wall. “How about this? This what you want?” She asks, leaning into the shorter, her breath whispering against Kelley’s lips.

 

Kelley blinks a few times, her mind going hazy with the close proximity of the brunette. “I just want you.” Kelley whispers, in response. Kelley knows, she knows this isn’t how this should happen. She shouldn’t allow this to happen like this. It’s clear that Hope is using her body to deflect any real conversation. Kelley’s mind blanks as Hope brings their lips together in a clash of tongue and teeth. Hope instantly fights for dominance of the kiss. Kelley whimpers into it, before regaining herself and roughly flipping them around so Hope’s against the wall. The taller woman growls and tries to regain the dominant position, but Kelley doesn’t allow it to happen.

 

Hope’s pinned against the wall, with no way to move. Kelley brings her hand to Hope’s hair, giving the dark locks a tug. Hope lets out a moan, while Kelley gains complete control of the kiss, her tongue exploring Hope’s mouth. Kelley grabs Hope’s wrists and pins them back against the wall, while Hope tries to push herself off of it. Kelley lets go of Hope’s wrists, not wanting to cross any lines with the woman. As soon as that happens, the tables are turned. Hope, roughly, turns them around and slams Kelley into the wall, earning a deep moan from the back of Kelley’s throat. Hope pins both of Kelley’s wrists above her head with one of her hands, while allowing her other hand to explore her body. Hope takes control of the kiss, running her tongue inside of Kelley’s mouth with no resistance.

 

“Is this what you wanted? You just wanted a fuck?” Hope spits out at Kelley, looking directly into the aroused hazel eyes in front of her. Her pupils are blown and she’s looking at Hope hungrily. “I just want you.” Kelley whispers, thickly. Hope shakes her head, before lifting Kelley with one hand and pressing her back against the wall. Kelley wraps her legs around Hope’s waist, giving up all of the control she had left. Hope brings her lips to Kelley’s neck, sucking and nipping at her pulse point, cause Kelley to buck her hips up. Kelley rocks her hips against Hope’s waist, while Hope sinks her teeth into the crevasse at the base of Kelley’s freckled neck.

 

Kelley lets out a stifled moan, just as Hope brings her hand to Kelley’s mouth to lessen the sound. In one motion, Hope brings her right hand and slides it in between them and under Kelley’s pants and underwear, immediately finding wetness. “Oh fuck” Kelley moans, against Hope’s hand. Hope replaces her hand with her lips, stifling the sounds with a hard kiss, while gently entering two fingers inside of the woman. Kelley moans into Hope’s mouth, while Hope pumps in at a growing pace. “Shut the fuck up.” Hope says, against Kelley’s lips. Kelley looks at Hope with dark eyes, glazed over with want. Kelley bucks her hips to meet Hope with every thrust. Without warning, Hope slides in a third finger, causing Kelley’s eyes to roll to the back of her head.

 

“Yes. Yes. Please.” Kelley chants, while Hope’s lips work their way around Kelley’s neck. “I hope it was worth it.” Hope whispers against her skin, before bringing her lips back to Kelley’s in an effort to keep her quiet. Kelley moans against Hope’s lips. Hope pumps her fingers inside of Kelley relentlessly, ignoring the burning sensation that’s filling her forearm with the uncomfortable angle. Hope brings her free hand under Kelley, on her ass, holding her up. “Fuck. Oh, fuck. Please.” Kelley whimpers out, as she pulls away from the brunette’s lips. Hope clenches her jaw, bringing her thumb to Kelley’s clit and circling it as best she can. Kelley feels herself climbing and climbing, closer and closer to climax. Hope twists her fingers, hitting just the right spot, pushing Kelley over the edge.

 

Kelley crashes, feeling herself let go, she bucks her hips wildly and latches onto Hope for dear life as she stifles her moans, burying her face in Hope’s neck. She brings Kelley down, before pulling out. She places the shorter woman on the ground and doesn’t even spare her a glance, before walking to the sink to wash her hands.

 

“Hope.” Kelley calls to her from her place on the floor, still feeling the effects of her orgasm. Hope looks at her, her blue eyes emotionless. “Please stop.” She says softly. “Please just stop fucking with my head. I’ve given you everything you wanted.” She says, before hesitating. “What else do you want to know? You need to know when there’s gonna be a delivery? They’re going to Mexico on Friday at 3 in the morning. I don’t know anything about Carli’s gang or their deliveries. So there. You happy?” She finishes, before walking to the wall furthest away from Kelley and placing her head in her hands, her elbows resting firmly on her knees.

 

“I don’t care about any of that. I don’t care about the gang. I don’t care about my job right now.” Kelley says, just loudly enough that she knows Hope hears her. “Can I please tell you what happened without you interrupting me?” Hope doesn’t acknowledge that Kelley’s said anything, but Kelley takes the lack of response as an affirmative answer. She takes a deep breath, knowing full-well that this could be the only time that Hope will hear her out. If Hope’s ever gonna believe what she’s saying, it needs to start here.

 

“I came in here as an undercover to try and bust the drug trafficking ring that your gang and the Irish Jesters are involved in.” She starts, carefully. “I was purposefully placed with you to try and get you to speak to me about what’s happening within the ring, when they’re planning deliveries, and how much they’re bringing over. No one knows I’m an undercover, not even the CO’s. When I’m on the phone, I’m talking to my boss. We speak monthly to discuss what’s been happening in here and how everything is going.” Kelley pauses to see if Hope reacts. When the other woman doesn’t even spare her a glance, she continues.

 

“At first, I was just trying to become your friend. I was trying to get you to trust me.” She sees Hope stiffen at the words. “It was my job.” She says, pointedly, before continuing. “Then I started learning more about you. I started actually liking you. Then the feelings came and I didn’t know how to stop them. I struggled with it for a while. I didn’t want to have feelings for you, Hope, but I did…I do, and I couldn’t stop them. Then my boss gave me a new assignment. He basically said to do whatever it takes, including be with you, romantically, to get more information. They were sensing that something big was gonna happen and started applying pressure.” She says, hesitating for a minute. She pushes herself to her feet and carefully walks over to Hope, sitting down next to her while keeping a good amount of space between them.

 

“I felt guilty. I felt so guilty, because I truly did want you to trust me. Not for the job, but because I care about you. I felt like I didn’t deserve you, like I don’t deserve you. Then we kissed and I knew I was done for. I know that I don’t deserve anything from you and you have no reason to trust me or believe me, but I do care, Hope. I came in here to do a job and ended up falling for a criminal.” She says, with a disbelieving chuckle. “I need you to believe me.” She whispers, after getting no response from Hope. “When did he give you the new assignment?” Hope asks without lifting her head. Kelley hesitates. She knows Hope isn’t gonna like her answer, but she can’t lie to the woman any more than she already has. “I talked to him the same day you went to medical.” She says, honestly. Hope lifts her head up and Kelley’s heart breaks at Hope’s watery eyes looking back at her.

 

“So the day of our first kiss?” She asks, sadly, nodding her head in understanding. Kelley looks away from her, unable to continue watching Hope realize that Kelley’s motivation behind everything that’s happened has been her job. Kelley nods, ducking her head in shame. “That wasn’t why it happened though.” She whispers. “You probably already knew everything that I told you about, didn’t you?” Hope follows up, slowly gaining more clarity of the entirety of the situation. Kelley tightens her lips. “A lot of it.” She answers, honestly. Hope nods and looks at her hands. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I shouldn’t have let you in to begin with. It was my mistake.” She says, softly. She pauses for a few seconds, the two of them sitting in a tension-filled silence. “Where do we go from here?” She asks, her tone changing from hurt to almost professional in an instant.

 

Kelley sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. “I want to be with you.” Kelley says, honestly. Hope shakes her head, hastily. “I mean, what are we gonna do about your fucking case Kelley. What do you need from me? I just want to tell you what you need to know so that you can leave. I can’t be around you anymore.” She says, glancing at the shorter woman, angrily. Kelley falters at her words, but nods. “I deserved that.” She hesitates, thinking a few things over in her mind, before continuing. “I know you hate me right now and I deserve it, but I think I have an idea.”

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty short, but I wanted to give you guys at least a little something. I'm not sure how long it'll be til the next update. I'd say Monday the earliest. Finals are approaching quickly so professors are piling on the work. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of this little filler chapter!

 

 

“Did you tell her about Plan B?” Kelley’s boss asks, seriously. “I did. She’s agreed to it, but she mentioned that she might not be able to get the information. She’s going to try. Then we’ll hold up our end of the deal.” Kelley responds. She hears him let out a sigh. “I’m glad you’re safe. Now let’s finish this.” He says, determination clear in his voice. “It’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I know more.” She responds, before hanging up. As she turns to be led back to her cell, she makes eye contact with Hope, who’s walking towards the phones to make a call of her own. The pair share a knowing look and Hope gives Kelley a slight not of affirmation. The plan is in motion.

 

Kelley paces back and forth in her cell, anxiously. When she hears the buzz of her cell door unlocking, she snaps her head to see her cell mate making her way in. Once the cuffs are off, Hope sighs and walks past a waiting Kelley to her bunk. “I’m in.” She says, simply. Kelley sighs, in relief and gives the woman a smile. “Great. That’s great.” She sighs out. “My boss gave the okay on our end of the deal. We just need more details about the Jesters and we’re good to go.” The officer says, walking to Hope’s bunk and taking a seat next to her.

 

Hope instinctively moves away, but nods her head at Kelley’s words. “I’ll get you your information.” She says, shortly, giving the shorter woman a guarded look. “You’re sure there won’t be any backlash on your part?” Hope looks at Kelley, thinking about the question for a few seconds. “Not if you put away every last one of them. I’ll need to move out of the South West, but if I keep my head down, I’ll be fine.” She answers, carefully. She sighs and moves her body so she’s laying down in the bunk, ignoring the worried look Kelley’s currently giving her.

 

“I’m gonna make this right.” Kelley whispers, turning her body so she can see the brunette. Hope glances at her and shrugs. “Honestly, Kelley, no matter what you do, it won’t make anything right. You played me like a game of fucking monopoly and I went right along with it.” Hope fires back, her defenses up completely. Kelley sighs, but doesn’t argue, knowing it won’t do any good. “I care about you.” Kelley says, softly. “I know you don’t believe me, but I do care. I’m gonna get you out of here, that’s a given, but I need you to try to see where I was coming from.” She says. She pauses for a second, letting Hope digest what she’s saying, before continuing.

 

“Try to put yourself in my situation. What if you were the one with a job to do? You would do anything it takes to get it done, wouldn’t you? Yes, I was doing my job, but my feelings were real. I have no reason to lie about that. In fact, I have more of a reason to deny those feelings considering if word gets out to anyone, I’m probably going to get fired.” Kelley says, seriously. She looks at Hope dead in the face, trying to make her understand where she’s coming from. Hope looks back at her for a few seconds, before looking away. “If your feelings were real, why did you only act on them after you were told to pursue me?” Hope whispers, her eyes flickering between Kelley and the cell door.

 

Kelley hesitates. She honestly doesn’t know why she waited so long, but she needs to ensure Hope that it wasn’t all about the job. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I waited. What I do know is that I was battling my feelings from the start. From the second I looked at you and thought ‘wow, she’s beautiful’, I battled those feelings. I knew if I got in too deep it would impact what I came here to do. Turns out, there was no fighting it.” Hope looks at her for a few seconds, trying to figure out if she can believe anything Kelley’s saying to her.

 

“You should have just told me, Kelley. You should have told me from the second we started becoming friends. Then I could have decided if I wanted to get involved, romantically, with a fucking cop. You didn’t give me that choice. Now I’m gonna have to lay low for the next five years, at least. Do you know what people do to snitches on the streets?” Kelley shrugs, her eyes glued to her lap. She knows she has a steep hill to climb with Hope, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to claw her out of this situation. She’s worth it.

 

“Torture. Rape. If I’m lucky, they’ll just give me a bullet to the head.” Hope lists off the possible scenarios, making Kelley cringe. “That won’t happen.” Kelley responds, quickly. Hope rolls her eyes and sits up in bed, leaning against the headboard. “You can’t stop it from happening. Hate to break it to you.” She says, sarcastically. “If you let me protect you, I will.” The freckled woman responds, softly, inching herself closer to the inmate. Hope scoffs, shooting her a glare. “I don’t need protection from a fucking cop. I didn’t need protection before you came, did I? You sure as hell aren’t doing much to help me in here. If anything, you’re giving me a death sentence for even talking to you.” She snaps.

 

Kelley sighs. “I don’t know what happened before I got here, but it can’t be any worse than what’s happened recently. All that I know is that I have the resources that you need to stay safe once you’re out.” She looks at Hope, pleadingly, trying to get her to accept the help that’s being offered. Hope shakes her head. “I don’t need anything from you.” Hope whispers, almost inaudibly. Kelley sighs and moves herself so she’s laying down on her side, facing Hope. “What happened before I got here? How did it end up like this?” Kelley asks, curiously. Hope’s mentioning of her past experiences behind prison walls catching Kelley’s attention.

 

Hope shakes her head. “You don’t need to know that. Kell, I’m in this for myself. I’m going along with this plan for me not for you, so please just let me do my part in peace.” She says, completely dodging the question. Kelley almost smiles at the nickname that slipped past Hope’s lips, but she resists. “I’m not gonna leave you alone. I know you care about me just as much as I care about you otherwise you wouldn’t have reacted this way. If you didn’t care about me, you would have killed me as soon as you found out I’m a cop.” She says in a hushed tone. Hope rolls her eyes. “I’m not a violent criminal, Kelley.” She spits out her name. “I wouldn’t have hurt you. But you’re right, I do fucking care. Why do you think I don’t want to be around you anymore? Do you honestly think I should believe you when you say that you give a fuck about me? You and I both know this isn’t going anywhere after this shit show is over. I was skeptical about it before I even knew about your profession. Now, there’s literally no way we can be together after this so please just do me a favor and drop it.” Hope says, shooting daggers in Kelley’s direction.

 

Kelley falters. She still hasn’t really thought of what’s going to happen after this, if she can get Hope to forgive her, that is. “We can figure it out. This doesn’t change anything, Hope. This doesn’t change me wanting to be with you. The only thing it changes is the way I go about the investigation.” Hope rolls her eyes. “You mean the way _I_ go about the investigation? I mean, I’m doing all the work, I’m taking all the risks, I’m the one in danger, but you get all the credit for it.” She spits out.

 

“You aren’t the only one who’s taking a risk here, you know. If anyone else finds out I’m a cop I’m fucking dead, don’t you get that? You’re going to get money and you’re getting out early, if this is successful, so stop acting like there’s nothing in it for you.” Kelley snaps back, becoming frustrated with the constant belittling. Hope doesn’t respond. She clenches her jaw and refuses to look in Kelley’s direction. Kelley sighs and reaches out a hand to place on the woman’s forearm. When Hope doesn’t pull away, she scoots herself a little bit closer to the brunette. “We’re both in danger. We’re both working to get this solved, and we’ll both get something out of it. Please don’t keep pushing me away. I know I lied. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. Please, just believe me when I say that every aspect of what we had, what we have, is and was real. The only thing I did for the job was ask questions when we were talking last night.” Kelley says, softly, rubbing Hope’s forearm with her thumb.

 

Hope brings both hands to her face, rubbing her eyes with her palms. “This is a big deal for me Kelley.” She whispers, bringing her hands down and looking into hazel eyes. “I don’t talk to people. I don’t _trust_ people.” She says, pointedly. Kelley glances down, guiltily. “I trusted you and you took that trust and you stepped all over it.” She says, pausing for a few seconds, before continuing. “At the same time, I know you were just doing your job. But please don’t expect me to just forget that you lied to my face for months. _Months_ , Kelley. Don’t expect me to just forget.” She repeats, softly. She looks at Kelley with sad eyes, while Kelley refuses to look her way.

 

“I don’t expect you to forget.” Kelley whispers. “But I’m hoping that we can move past it.” She says, looking up to meet Hope’s eyes. Hope’s eyes flicker to Kelley’s lips for a split second, before she looks away and clenches her jaw. The shorter woman notices, but doesn’t react to it. “I can’t. Not right now, at least. I need to focus on getting this done so I can get out of here in one piece.” She says, seriously. Kelley sees Hope’s guard come down just enough that she knows the brunette isn’t completely against her. She nods, in understanding. “Okay.” She whispers. “Okay, let’s get this done, let’s get out of this hell hole, then we’ll talk.” She finishes, agreeing with the inmate. Hope looks at her, hesitantly, for a few seconds, before nodding her head. “We’ll talk.” 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while, huh? But I told you I'd be back! Junior year of college is finally over so I'm now free for the summer. :) Updates should be coming more often now that I have more free time. Thank you guys for being so patient. I know it's frustrating being left without updates for a while.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 

 

Kelley watches, nervously, as Hope walks towards the picnic tables. “O’Hara, get your head in the game. I bet my dinner over this!” Tobin says, shoving Kelley’s shoulder as she runs past her. Kelley shakes herself out of her daze and takes one last, skeptical, glance towards the gang, before making a run into the ‘box’. There’s not a cloud in the sky and the sun is beating down on the inmates. It’s been almost two weeks since they’ve been able to be outside because of the less-than-ideal weather. Kelley wipes a bead of sweat off of her forehead, as she takes a few seconds to catch her breath and catch a glimpse of the ongoing conversation Hope is currently having. “Chris, come here!” Tobin calls out. Kelley turns her head to see Christen making her way over. She watches as Tobin reaches out to squeeze her hand, before directing the woman to join in on the game.

 

“What’s that all about?” Kelley asks the self-declared midfielder during a break. “Huh?” Tobin responds. “Christen…What’s with you two?” She elaborates. Tobin tries suppressing a smile, her eyes finding Christen, who’s talking quietly to Amy. “We’re just-we’re figuring things out.” She responds, shrugging her shoulders. “How’s Alex?” Tobin stiffens at the mention of the gang member. “She’s Alex. She won’t leave me alone. I requested a cell transfer, so hopefully that will go through.” Kelley nods, slowly. She knows about the situation between Tobin, Alex, and Christen, but lately it’s all been coming to a head. Alex has noticed the change in relationship between Christen and Tobin and hasn’t been shy about showing her displeasure.

 

Tobin and Alex used to have a connection before Alex got caught up with Abby and the rest of the gang. After she officially joined the group, Tobin wanted nothing to do with her. Alex refused to accept rejection and hasn’t stopped pursuing the relationship even though Tobin is clearly caught up with Christen. Now, it seems that Christen and Tobin are officially trying to start something together but with Alex being Tobin’s cell mate, it makes it impossible to be open about it without the fear of Alex’s retaliation. “Just be safe. You never know what they’ll do.” Kelley responds, nodding towards the gang. Tobin glances towards the picnic tables and nods. “I know. That’s why we’re being so quiet about it.” She responds. “We’re starting again!” Tobin and Kelley look at Cheney, who’s clearly waiting for everyone to return to the game. The pair roll their eyes at her persistence, but make their way towards her, prepared to finish the game.

 

Hope clenches her jaw, as she makes eye contact with Carli, who’s shooting her a deadly glare. She saunters up to the claimed picnic tables in faux-confidence. “Can we talk for a minute?” Hope asks her former friend. Abby immediately stands, moving into Hope’s line of view. “Do you really want to do this? Because I don’t mind being sent to the hole for killing you.” She says with no trace of hesitance in her voice. Hope tries to refrain from rolling her eyes. Abby has always been so damn defensive for no reason at all, so the fact that she’s ready to fight over absolutely nothing doesn’t surprise the brunette one bit.

 

Hope shakes her head. “I’m not trying to start anything. I just need to talk to Lloyd about something.” Carli stands, looking at Hope with squinted, questioning, eyes. Abby scoffs. “Anything you have to say, you say in front of all of us.” The taller woman says, motioning to the other members, who are watching the altercation, curiously. Hope looks down, focusing her eyes on the worn down, green, table in front of her. She sighs and looks back up at Abby. “It has nothing to do with you.” She says. Her blue eyes pierce into Abby’s, before she shifts her focus to Carli, who’s looking back at her. “It’ll only take a minute.” She says to her, semi-pleadingly.

 

“You have about five seconds to get the fuck away from us before I make what happened to you in the showers look like a fucking cake walk.” Abby growls, angrily. She looks at Hope, challengingly, while Hope takes a subconscious step backwards. She blinks a few times, glancing between Abby and Carli, nervously. She puts her hands up, in surrender. “Okay.” She sighs out. She shoots Carli a disappointed glance, before turning and walking away from the group. She makes her way back to the fence, where she always stands. She takes a second to collect herself, her heart still racing with adrenaline. She hates confrontation. If she could avoid it, she would, but she needs to figure out a way to make this work.

 

Blue eyes meet hazel from across the yard. Hope looks at her for a few seconds, before looking away. Kelley sighs, in frustration. It’s clear that whatever Hope had set out to do didn’t work. She clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth, before walking away from where the match is being played. “I need to take a few minutes.” She calls out to her friends, before plopping down on the closest bench. She goes over different scenarios in her head. She thinks of all the different ways this could play out. She thinks of how dangerous of a situation she’s found herself in, a situation she’s forced Hope into. She knows that whatever happens, she needs to make sure the brunette gets out of here safely. She’d never forgive herself if she was able to walk out of this hell hole and had to leave Hope behind to fend for herself.

 

She loses track of time and before she knows it, they’re being led back to their cells. She gets into the cell before Hope does. She sits, patiently, on Hope’s bunk and glances to her right to see the black notebook that Hope is always doodling in. She puckers her lips, contemplating her next move, before shrugging her shoulders, indifferently, and picking it up. She flips through the pages, curiously, and looks at the different images that Hope’s drawn inside. They’re scribbled, clearly completed without much thought, but they’re captivating to Kelley. She flips through page after page. A landscape. A flower. Different animals. Her chickens. A woman. Kelley stops, eyeing the image of the woman, going over the features carefully. It only takes her a few seconds before realizing that the image is quite obviously a sketch of the police officer, herself.

 

Kelley immediately feels like she’s in uncharted territory. She’s found herself feeling like she’s seen too much, like she’s seen what no one else knows about the criminal. She flips through the last few pages, reading poems that the brunette has written. They’re good, great even, but before the freckled woman can finish reading them, she hears her cell door closing and glances up to meet wide, panicking, blue eyes. Kelley closes the book and tosses it on the bed, scrambling back to a sitting position. “Shit.” She whispers, as she runs her fingers though her hair. Hope freezes for a few seconds, before squaring her shoulders.

 

“See anything interesting?” She asks, casually, walking to the sink to wash her hands, as she always does after coming inside from the yard. Kelley notices how the woman constantly washes her hands. When they get back from meals, Hope washes her hands. Yard time? Hope washes her hands. Showers? Hope washes her hands. She thinks it’s a little bit uncharacteristic, but isn’t surprised. It’s clear that the woman has anxiety and maybe washing her hands is just one way of controlling that.

 

“N-No. I don’t-I didn’t mean to. I don’t know why I did that. I’m sorry.” Kelley stutters out. Hope shrugs, as she wipes her hands on her scrubs. “It’s fine.” Hope says, simply. She walks towards her bunk, crawling past Kelley and settling herself on the mattress. She picks up the notebook and puts it safely under her pillow. “You drew a picture of me.” Kelley mentions, carefully. She turns her body so she’s next to Hope, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them. Hope closes her eyes, placing her hands behind her head. “Does that make you uncomfortable?” She asks, softly.

 

Kelley shakes her head, before realizing Hope can’t actually see her. “No, of course not.” She responds, honestly. It makes her feel like she means something more to Hope. “Okay then.” Hope counters, simply. Kelley sighs at the indifference coming from the taller woman. She feels like she’s, once again, betrayed the trust that Hope placed on her. “Are you upset with me?” The officer asks, glancing at the inmate. Hope shakes her head. “No. I have nothing to hide.” She says. Kelley can tell that she’s not telling the full truth, but she lets it go. She figures that Hope will let her know if there’s something that’s truly bothering her.

 

Hope opens her eyes to see the freckled woman looking back at her. “Carli wouldn’t talk to me.” She says, disappointedly. Kelley looks at the nervous eyes in front of her. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” Kelley whispers. Hope rolls her eyes. “There’s nothing to figure out. If Carli won’t talk to me then I can’t do my part. If I can’t do my part, I’m staying in here.” She says, pointedly. She shakes her head, rolls onto her back. “We’re going to figure this out. I’m not leaving without you.” Kelley says, simply, reaching out to place a hand on Hope’s arm. She feels the woman stiffen, slightly, at the touch.

 

“Yes you are. If I can’t do this, you’re gonna have to leave, Kelley.” She bites out. “You’re a cop.” She says, softly. Kelley bites her lips, trying to come up with some sort of plan. “I’m not gonna leave you in here. I’ll pull some strings if it comes down to it.” Hope rolls her eyes at the woman. “Yea, I’m sure your department will love the fact that you’re trying to get a criminal out of prison because you’re fucking her.” She whispers. “Well, technically, I’m not fucking you.” Kelley responds with a smirk. “Yet.” She adds, confidently. Hope looks at her, clearly unamused. “Well, I’m glad you’re so fucking sure of yourself.” She retorts, sarcastically.

 

The response sobers Kelley, who tries to backtrack. “No, well-I mean, I could be. You know, I never did, um, reciprocate the other night.” She immediately bites her tongue, shutting herself up before she can talk herself any further into a hole. Hope sits up and glares at the shorter woman. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She asks, angrily. “So that’s all I am to you?” She asks, disappointedly. “Go ahead, Officer O’Hara, do what you want.” She starts untying her scrubs and Kelley shakes her head. “No, no, no. Stop. That’s not what I meant. Jesus, Hope.” She says, wiping her face with her hands. She reaches out to grab Hope’s wrists, stilling them. “You know that’s not true.” Kelley looks into the dark blue eyes and gives a pleading look. “Let’s just drop it.” Hope states, leaving no room for argument. Kelley sighs, but doesn’t respond, leaving the pair in an uncomfortable silence. Kelley busies herself for the next couple hours, reading a book that her boss sent her. Hope doodles in her notebook and tries to ignore the fact that the shorter woman invaded her only sense of privacy.

 

When dinner comes, Hope makes her way through the chow line, as she usually does. Kelley goes about her own routine, sticking with her friends and making her way to their table. Hope takes her seat at her table in the far back corner of the dining room and keeps to herself. When she hears footsteps coming towards her, she immediately goes into defense mode, looking up at the person headed her way. Carli. Hope, strangely, feels a sense of relief. She finally gets to make an attempt to execute her part of the plan. The woman gives her a hard look and almost tosses her try onto the table in front of Hope. “Make this quick.” She spits out, glaring across the table at her former friend. Hope hesitates for a few seconds, before jumping right into it.

 

“Tee needs to know what’s going on with your run time. We’re headed out soon and he doesn’t want there to be conflict.” Hope says, softly. Tee is the leader of Hope’s old gang and he’s probably one of the more dangerous men she’s ever met. Carli looks unconvinced, giving her a slight smirk. “You really expect me to tell you when we’re going? You trying to plan an ambush?” She asks. Hope rolls her eyes and leans forward in her seat, making sure no one else could overhear her. “Listen, we don’t want to get caught. If we’re both there at the same time, one of us is gonna get caught up at the border. It you just fucking tell me what you guys are doing; we can make sure we plan our run around yours. We’re being rather civil, if you ask me.”

 

It’s only happened once before. The Irish Jesters and the Future Kings happened to try to get over the border at the same time, both of their vehicles filled with drugs. The Kings were almost forced into dealing with an officer who had no part in their plan, which would have resulted in a whole lot of jail time for the four members in the car. Luckily, the gang realized what was happening and turned around, deciding to delay their run for 24 hours. The brunette is hoping that by bringing up the past conflict, the other woman will see the sense in working around each other, rather than one of them being caught.

 

Carli doesn’t respond for a few minutes, snacking on the food in front of her and clearly deep in thought. She glances at Hope, skeptically, trying to get a read on her. Hope puts on her best front, knowing that Carli could read her pretty well. Hope tilts her head and doesn’t falter under Carli’s gaze. “Wednesday. 4:30 AM. If anything goes down, I know where to find you.” She says, in a hushed tone. She gives Hope one last glare, finalizing the threat, before she picks up her tray and makes her way back to her table. Abby shoots her a glare from across the room, but Hope just looks down and focuses on the fact that she’s done it. She’s gotten what she needs and now it’s up to Kelley to play her part.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a filler chapter. I'll get another update out this coming week.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

As soon as Kelley’s boss was informed about both gangs run times, he knew they finally had a shot at catching them. It’d been a long and complicated investigation and they’ve finally caught a break. The one problem that they’ve into is the fact that the Irish Jesters are making their run a full 2 days before the Future Kings. If the Future Kings find out about the police ambush on the Jesters, they’ll most definitely put off their run. This has to be done quietly and quickly, if they want a chance at getting both gangs without endangering their officer and informant.

 

For Hope, it’s the waiting that’s most difficult. It’s Tuesday night and she’s pacing back and forth in her cell, anxiously. She knows that in only a few hours, the ambush is happening. If news gets out about it, she’s in trouble and she knows it. “I can hear you thinking from up here.” Kelley states as she rolls to the edge of her bunk to catch a glimpse of the pacing woman. Hope shoots her a light glare. “How are you not worried? This could all go sideways.” She bites back. Kelley sighs and places her book down. “I know the agents that are handling it. They’re good, great even. If anyone can keep this quiet, it’s them.” Hope sighs, but doesn’t respond.

 

Despite Kelley’s reassurances, she’s nervous too. She knows how important this is for her safety. _Hope’s safety_. She spends the night looking at the pages of her book, not reading a single word. She listens to Hope’s footsteps as she walks back and forth around the cell. There’s a nervous tension in the room that neither of them is able to break. They both know what’s at stake and they both know that come tomorrow, anything could happen. ‘When the fuck are they coming to get us out of this place?’ She thinks, as she flips a thoroughly unread page.

 

The two of them sit in an unbroken silence for most of the night, neither of them able to fall asleep. Hope continues pacing for what feels like hours, before finally deciding to lay down in her bunk. She immediately pulls out her notebook and allows her pencil to find its way across the page. Both of them feel the same way regarding the situation. Yes, they want the Jesters to be caught tonight, but they don’t want anything to go wrong either. It’s a big risk they’re taking and if it doesn’t pay off it’ll all be for nothing.

 

“O’Hara!” Kelley jumps awake to her name being called. She must have fallen asleep at some point throughout the night. “Get your things.” Officer Krieger yells from the outside of the cell door. Kelley sits up in bed, confusedly. “What do you mean?” She asks, rubbing her eyes of sleep. “I mean, get your shit, inmate, you’re getting out of here.” She clarifies. Kelley’s eyes widen. She opens her mouth to protest, but knows she has to go along with it to keep her cover. “How long do I have?” She asks the officer.

 

“20 minutes. Hurry it up.” She states, before continuing down the cell block. Kelley waits until she’s gone, before jumping off her bunk. She immediately makes eye contact with a stoic Hope. “I’m…I’m…” She trails off, trying her best to remain calm. Hope clenches her jaw and shakes her head. “You’re getting out. Congrats.” She says, dryly. Kelley shakes her head, quickly. “This is protocol. I get out, then you get out. It would be too suspicious if we both left at the same time.” The undercover officer explains.

 

Hope rolls her eyes. “Or they couldn’t keep it quiet and need to get you out of here before you get killed.” She states. Kelley hesitates. She hasn’t spoken to her boss, so she truly doesn’t know how the ambush went or if they were able to complete it successfully. “I’m sure it went perfectly. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be okay.” She reassures, trying to remain optimistic. She sighs, before getting her things together. She didn’t bring much; so it doesn’t take her long to pack up. “You’ll be fine.” The officer reassures, once again, as she plops down on the brunette’s bunk. She sits close to her, pushing her limits with the little time they have left together.

 

“What if I won’t be fine, Kelley? What if Carli gets word of what happened? What if they come after me? You and I both know it won’t just be a beating this time. I’ll be dead.” Hope whispers, nervously. She glances at the freckled woman, fear evident in her eyes. Kelley reaches up to stroke the woman’s face with her thumb. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I can’t sit here and promise you that everything went smoothly because I don’t know if it did. I don’t know why they’re getting me out today, of all days, but we just have to trust that they’re doing what’s best for both of us.”

 

Hope nods. “I know.” She says, softly. “They’re gonna be coming to get me soon.” Kelley reminds the inmate, noting how long it’s been since Officer Krieger left. The brunette looks away for a few seconds, seeming to contemplate her next move, before leaning towards the smaller woman. Kelley doesn’t move, allowing Hope to take the reins. Hope places a lingering kiss on Kelley’s lips, before pulling away and pecking her on the cheek. Kelley tries to suppress a smile. “What was that for?” The taller woman shrugs, nonchalantly, as she pulls back. “Just in case Carli kills me in here.” She says, simply. Kelley rolls her eyes, smacking her, lightly, on the arm. “Shut up.”

 

“Inmate, let’s go.” Krieger states, jingling her keys. Kelley sighs and looks at Hope, sadly. “I’ll talk to you soon. Stay strong, okay?” Hope nods and watches as Kelley collects her items and follows Officer Krieger out of the cell. The two share a lingering gaze, before Kelley makes her way down the hallway and out of sight. Hope lets out a shaky breath as the weight of being alone settles, firmly, on her shoulders. It’s a familiar feeling, but one that she hasn’t felt since before Kelley arrived.

 

Kelley goes through the release process, which takes more time than she had expected. She finally walks outside of the prison, feeling a sense of freedom that she’s never quite felt before. As great as it feels to be out, there’s an unwavering tug at her heart knowing that Hope remains behind the walls. She turns to walk down the street when she sees her boss and another agent waiting for her across the roadway. “Get it.” He states, seriously. A feeling of dread fills Kelley’s gut, as she crosses the road. ‘Something isn’t right.’ She thinks, as she gets into the backseat of the black SUV.

 

“What’s going on?” She asks, as they pull away from the curb. “It went smoothly, for the most part.” Her boss replies, clearly leaving something out. She looks at him, questioningly until he sighs and begins to explain. “One of the members was on the phone when we moved in. He spoke for about ten seconds; from the time they saw us until we could get it away from him.” Kelley nods, skeptically. “So who was he talking to?” She watches as his eyes fill with what looks to be guilt. “Lloyd.”

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little bit longer than I had planned, hope you don't mind!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

 

“How the fuck did she get phone time at 4 in the fucking morning?” Kelley exclaims, angrily. Her boss gives her a warning look. ‘Calm down.’ She thinks to herself. “We don’t know. We’re thinking a CO let her out of her cell to give them last minute instructions.” He states. ‘Krieger.’ Kelley notes. Her knee starts bouncing with the anxiety that’s overcome her body. “We need to get her out, Ray. They’ll kill her.” Raymond turns his body to face her and shakes his head. “You know we can’t do that. We need to wait at least 24 hours after your release t-“ “No, fuck that!” She interrupts him. “We got her in this mess, we need to get her out.” She ignores the look of disapproval on his face. “I’m going to ignore the fact that you just yelled at me. I’m also going to ignore the fact that your emotions are a little bit too involved for my liking. We cannot get her out right now, O’Hara. She’ll have to wait it out.” Kelley leans back in her seat, biting her tongue. She wants to fight. She wants to fight for Hope, but she knows I’ll only get her nowhere. Rules are rules and they aren’t meant to be broken.

 

As Hope walks out of her cell and steps on the line, prepared to be led to breakfast, she feels a tension. Looking towards Carli’s cell, she locks eyes with the woman and tries to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. Carli knows. She can tell just by the way she’s glaring back at her. ‘How the fuck does she know?’ She thinks, as they all start walking. No one misses the extra attention that the gang is giving Hope, as they get their meals. The stare-downs, the glares, the whispers. As the tall brunette makes her way through the line, she knows that she may not make it through the day. She minds her business, though, going about her routine as she always does.

 

“Solo, why don’t you come sit with us?” Pinoe says, as Hope walks by their table. Hope looks at the group of Kelley’s friends and almost gives in. The fear of what the gang could do almost overwhelms her, but she refuses to be put off by them. “No, thanks.” She says, softly, surprising even herself with her lack of bite. Cheney and Pinoe share a look, before watching the lone wolf sit by herself, once again. There’s a sadness that surrounds the group of friends. They learned through the CO’s that Kelley was released early this morning and none of them had been expecting it. Kelley had never mentioned having so little time on her sentence, which they all found to be odd, but not uncharacteristic. The freckled woman had always kept her personal life personal, unwilling to share parts of herself with them.

 

Somehow, Hope makes it through both breakfast and lunch without being confronted by the gang. They settle with shooting her deadly glares that show a promise of what’s to come. It’s the unknown that scares the woman the most. What are they gonna do? When are they gonna do it? Questions fill the inmates mind, as she doodles in her notebook, silence filling the cell. She misses Kelley already. The silence is deafening, the sense of being alone is back in full force, her defenses are securely up and ready. Dread fills her, as she realizes that she still has to get through yard time, dinner, and showers, before she can feel safe again.

 

“Let’s go, Solo. It’s a beautiful day out there.” Officer O’Reilly states, as she waits for the offender to leave her bunk. Hope follows, with the rest of the women. She settles by the fence, as she always does and watches as Carli and Officer Krieger share a short conversation. Krieger makes her way inside, while O’Reilly stays to watch the inmates. As soon as Hope sees that, she knows. Whenever O’Reilly watches yard time, Krieger takes shower time. The rotation never changes. Hope isn’t surprised at their plan. There’s cameras in the yard, watching the inmates every move, while the showers have nothing that could prove their guilt.

 

“W-Wanna come play soccer?” Hope jumps, as her train of thought is broken. Christen looks up at her, nervously glancing behind her, where her friends watch the interaction. “Why’d they send you to do their dirty work?” Hope asks, in semi-amusement. It’s clear that Christen’s scared of her, so why the hell did they send her, of all people? The shorter woman shrugs. “They thought you might say ‘yes’ to me?” She responds, quietly. Hope scoffs, shooting a glare at the group of women, who are watching in anticipation. “I’m okay over here. Have fun with your game.” Christen nods, backing away, slowly. “She said no.” She says, loudly, as she jogs back over to her friends. Pinoe rolls her eyes. “Typical.” She mutters under her breath.

 

Hope watches her surroundings, carefully. Though she thinks she knows what the gang is planning, she refuses to let her guard down. Playing soccer would give them the opportunity to catch her from behind, catch her defenseless, and she refuses to allow that to happen. So she stays in her safety zone, her back placed, securely, on the chain link fence, and waits until Officer O’Reilly calls for them to line up. “Sit with us at dinner, Solo.” Hope hears Tobin whisper from where she’s walking, behind her in line. She shakes her head, in response, pulling a sigh from Tobin. “Think about it.” The brunette doesn’t respond.

 

Hope does think about it. She thinks about what it could be like, having friends in here. She thinks about how it would look, from the gang’s standpoint. Would she look weak? Would it put a bigger target on her back? She eventually makes a decision and sticks with it. When she plops her tray, firmly, on the table next to Pinoe, it comes as a surprise to everyone. “It’s about time.” Hope rolls her eyes. “You guys kept pestering me, so here I am.”

 

“Did you know Kelley was getting out so soon? She didn’t mention it to any of us.” Hope stiffens, as she realizes she now has to cover for the undercover. “She never really mentioned how much time she had left.” She shrugs. Everyone nods, in understanding. Kelley did a decent job of covering her tracks and for that, Hope is grateful. “You know they’ve been eyeing you up all day, right?” Amy asks, motioning to the gang. The brunette nods. “I’m used to it.” She states, simply. They spend the rest of dinner making small talk and Hope is just glad that they didn’t pester her with any more questions. As dinner ends, she knows that the peace is going to be short-lived.

 

Hope tries getting out of going to the showers. She tells Officer Krieger that she’s sick, but the CO didn’t fall for it, or just doesn’t care. Krieger is well aware of what the gang is planning and she’d pretty much do anything to make sure Hope is there. So when they all get to the locker rooms, Hope finds herself shutting down. She steels herself, refusing to show weakness. They get to the showers and it’s no surprise to anyone when Officer Krieger finds an excuse to leave them alone. Carli and Abby make their way over and before Hope can even begin to defend herself, she has hands wrapped around her throat. Carli looks her dead in the eyes, as she squeezes her hands and pushes her back against the shower wall.

 

Hope feels tears mixing with the water, as she struggles to find oxygen. She didn’t expect it to be so simple. She had expected an attack, a brutal beating, something more dramatic. But as she looks at the emotionless eyes burning into her own, she knows they were planning a murder from the start. So she gives up. She stops struggling, stops trying to rip Carli’s hands off of her. Her body goes limp and she accepts her fate. When she feels herself fall to the ground and oxygen flow quickly into her throat, she only feels confusion.

 

Pinoe watches, from the opposite wall, as Hope remains defenseless. She feels her blood start pumping and the adrenaline rushing through her body. When she sees the brunette go limp, her instinct takes over. She tackles Carli, roughly, from behind and immediately pins her to the ground. All hell breaks loose. Yells. Screams for help. The gang being controlled. Surprisingly enough, Cheney had been the next person to jump in. She watched Abby making her way towards Hope, most likely planning on finishing her off and she jumped into action. Amy, Tobin, Becky, JJ, and Sam all jumped in after their friends, taking control of the other members of the gang. Steph and Christen stayed back with Rose, making sure the younger girl was protected.

 

When Officer Krieger walks back into the showers, she expects to find a dead body and a group of inmates who refuse to snitch. What she finds, however, is madness. Hope is still on the ground, her face resting on the tile flooring as she wheezes, trying to catch her breath. Carli and Abby are pinned firmly on the floor by Pinoe, Cheney, and JJ. Alyssa is held back by Becky, Syd by Tobin, and Alex by Sam. There’s almost a stillness within the room, no one moving, no one talking. “What the hell is going on here?” Krieger yells, as she walks in. “They attacked us!” Carli yells, angrily, from her place on the floor.

 

“Look at Hope’s fucking throat. Look at it!” Cheney yells, standing up, while JJ takes her place controlling a still-struggling Abby. “You knew about this. You knew! Look at her.” She says, pointing to the brunette. “Is that what you fucking wanted?” She yells, angrily, walking towards the officer. “What the fuck is going on in here?” Officer O’Reilly walks in and everyone seems to breathe a sigh of relief. Well, everyone except for the gang and Krieger, who’s face goes white. “Your friend, here, left and allowed these monsters to attack Solo. Go look at her. I’m sure her neck doesn’t look too fucking good.” Lauren explains, trying and failing to remain calm.

 

O’Reilly does go to Hope and quickly sees the handprints, a dull red, left on her neck. “I need backup in the showers.” She says, communicating with the other CO’s. The next few hours go by quickly. Everyone is interviewed by detectives from the F.B.I., placing the gang at fault for the attack. Syd admitted her own guilt and threw the other members under the bus, which, ultimately, proved their guilt. Carli had no problem ratting out Officer Krieger, who was arrested for her part in all of the attacks against Solo. Hope was brought to the hospital, where she was told that other than a few old, mostly healed, broken ribs from the other attacks, she was in good health. Though, the marks on her neck will probably be there for a couple weeks, before they heal completely. After being cleared, she was brought directly back to the prison, where she was placed back in her cell.

 

Once the situation was all sorted out, the five gang members were placed in the hole for at least a year and Krieger was sent to a county jail, where she’ll await her arraignment. “You alright, Solo?” Officer O’Reilly asks from outside of her cell. Hope glances at her from her place on her bunk. “I’m fine.” O’Reilly nods, slowly, well aware of the fact that she’s most definitely not fine. “Holler if you need anything.” She offers, before continuing down the cell block. Hope clenches her jaw and plops down in her bunk. Tears make their way down her face, before she has time to stop them. She brushes them away, knowing there’s no point in crying. It’s all over. If Kelley’s friends hadn’t taken her under their wing, she’d be dead. She knows that.

 

“O’Reilly!” Hope calls out, placing her hands on the bars of the cell door. “You okay?” The CO asks, as she approaches. “Can you take me to Pinoe’s cell? Please?” The officer seems to contemplate it for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No fighting and you can’t go inside.” She negotiates. Hope quickly nods, knowing she wasn’t getting a better offer than that. “Hands.” The brunette rolls her eyes, but places her hands in front of her and allows herself to be cuffed. The CO leads her to Pinoe’s cell. “Make it quick.” She states, giving her a sympathetic glace that shows Hope that, despite her words, she could take all the time she needs.

 

“Megan?” The brunette calls. She sees a blonde head pop up from the top bunk. She hops down and approaches, confusion written all over her face. “What? You okay?” Hope rolls her eyes. She really wishes people would stop fucking asking her that. “I’m fine. I just…I wanted to thank you. For-for you know…saving my ass in there.” She stutters. Pinoe blinks a few times, in surprise. “It’s no big deal. You’re not too bad to look at. Wanted to keep you around for a little longer.” She winks, jokingly. Hope lets out a smile, giving her an appreciative nod. “Well, thanks.” She says softly. Pinoe reaches through the bars and gives Hope’s hand a reassuring squeeze, alerting O’Reilly, who watches the situation carefully.

 

“You’re a tough bitch, Solo.” She says, seriously. “But I needs to get my beauty sleep.” Before Hope can even respond, Pinoe’s making her way back to her bunk. The brunette simply rolls her eyes and gives O’Reilly a nod, signally that she’s done. “Why didn’t you say anything to me about all of this? I would have helped.” The CO asks on their way back to Hope’s cell. She shrugs. “I knew if you didn’t get them out of here quickly enough, something bad would happen.” O’Reilly sighs, but nods, in understanding. “Try to get some sleep. I’ll see you at breakfast.” She states, as she removes the cuffs from the woman. “Thanks”

 

Back at F.B.I. headquarters, Kelley is having a meltdown. “This is all our fault. She could have died in there, Ray. She could have died and it would have been because of us.” She states, pacing quickly back and forth inside of her office. Ray sighs, knowing that something isn’t quite right with his agent. “Relax, O’Hara. She’s fine. It’s only because of your friends that she’s alive, from what I’m hearing.” He admits. “We’re picking her up in the morning.” He states, trying to calm Kelley as much as he can. He realizes that putting his agent in such a dangerous situation was a risky move, but it worked itself out. Now they just have to make sure the ambush on the Kings tomorrow night goes well and they’ll be on their way to solving this case.

 

Kelley sighs, in relief, as she realizes Hope will be out of that horrible place tomorrow, but it doesn’t serve to calm her nerves. She still doesn’t know if Hope wants anything to do with her and she’s pretty sure her boss is catching onto what’s going on between them. On top of that, they still need to get the Future Kings and make sure they weed out all of the criminals that are in both gangs, which could take months. For now, she takes another sip of her coffee, knowing she wasn’t getting any sleep tonight and just hopes to god that Hope is doing okay.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is slowly winding down. I'm planning one more chapter and an epilogue. 
> 
> WARNING: Smut in the last part of this chapter.

 

 

Kelley paces, impatiently, in the lobby of the hotel. They’re bringing Hope there straight from the prison to ensure her safety. Kelley knows, she knows, that her coworkers have all the experience and the skill to protect the brunette, but a part of her wishes it were her that’s escorting the woman off of prison grounds. She watches as the black SUV pulls up to the front doors. She hasn’t even seen Hope yet and her eyes are already filled with tears of relief. Hope is led out of the car and Kelley’s knees go weak at the sight of her. She can see the light purple of the bruises from where she stands. Bile rises in the back of her throat.

 

Her feet start moving before her brain comprehends what she’s doing and she jumps into the woman’s arms, just as she enters through the sliding doors. “You’re okay.” She breathes out in Hope’s ear. The brunette hugs her back, relieved that they’re both okay. Kelley awkwardly steps away from her, making an attempt to salvage whatever’s left of her job. “I’m fine, Kell.” She says, voice raspy from the attack. She glances around, clearly uncomfortable with the amount of people guarding her. “Now what?” She asks one of the agents. “We bring you to your room.” He states, almost robotically.

 

They make their way upstairs and into the room that was reserved for Hope. The women wait outside, while the agents clear the room and make sure it’s truly empty. Once given the ‘okay’, Hope goes inside, followed quickly by Kelley, while the door is guarded from the outside. “Are you even allowed to come in here with me?” The taller woman asks, as she plops down on the bed. Kelley shrugs, indifferently. “No one stopped me.” Hope purses her lips and looks around the room. They fall into an awkward silence, neither of them sure of what to say. In the prison, they always had the case to talk about, but now that their part in it is mostly over, there’s not much more to say.

 

“I need to shower.” Hope says, softly, before making her way into the bathroom. Kelley sighs, as she watches her leave. She stands up and looks through the peep hole, noting that her friends Levi and Rob are currently on guard. She slips outside. “Who sent in a threat?” She asks, knowingly, as she leans against the wall across from them. The only reason that Ray would ever put this much fire power on post for an informant is if they received a credible threat or have reason to believe said person is in danger. “Carter Folier, better known as ‘Chee Chee’. One of the big dogs in the Jesters. Said they’d throw whatever they have at Solo until she’s dead.” Kelley closes her eyes for a few seconds, thinking of what she can do to help. She looks between the two, who have their large guns out and ready.

 

“Let Ray know I’m staying here with her.” She states, before unlocking the door and heading back inside. She finds Hope looking out the window, towel wrapped securely around her body. She walks up to her, quietly, before placing a hand on her lower back. Hope jumps and whips her body around, pushing Kelley away, roughly. Luckily for Kelley, she has a good sense of balance, so she stays on her feet. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” Hope rushes out. Kelley puts a hand up, brushing off the apology. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”

 

“What’s going on?” The former-inmate asks, motioning to the door. She sits down on the bed. “Nothing for you to worry about.” Kelley replies, leaning against the window sill. Hope rolls her eyes and starts drying off her shoulders, leaving her skin semi-exposed. “I’m not an invalid, Kell. Tell me what’s going on.” Kelley sighs and glances out the window. “We received a threat from the Jesters. So until we can be sure you’re safe, you’ll be protected.”

 

“Great.” Hope drags out, sarcastically. Kelley rolls her eyes. She walks over and takes a seat next to her. “Does it hurt?” She asks, softly, motioning to her neck. Hope nods. “A little.” Kelley lets her eyes wander over the injury. “I should have been there to help you.” She says, softly, reaching out and running her fingers along the marks, gently. “You couldn’t have stopped them. Besides, your friends had it pretty well covered.” Hope shrugs, with a forced smile. Kelley brings her hand to her face, running her fingers along the woman’s jawline. When she reaches her chin, she turns Hope’s face to look at her.

 

Neither of them says anything. Kelley studies Hope’s eyes, which show the fear that she refuses to express. “You can talk to me, you know.” The officer whispers. Hope shakes her head, her eyes flickering to the woman’s lips. She leans in, her hand coming up to cup Kelley’s face. “We’re not doing this.” Kelley says, turning her face away, ignoring the slight hurt that flickers through Hope’s eyes. “So it was just for the job?” She asks, earning a baffled expression from Kelley. “What? No. I mean, we’re not doing this.” She motions between them. “You’re not gonna get away with ignoring how you feel anymore. You need to talk about it, Hope.”

 

“How I feel? You really want to know how I feel, Kelley?” The brunette asks, anger floods her body. Kelley raises her eyebrows and gives her a nod. “You’re so fucking frustrating.” Hope growls, standing up and walking away from the woman. She starts pacing, one hand holding up her towel, while the other motions wildly. “I was fine in there. I was perfectly fine taking whatever the gang was gonna do, but then you showed up and you just fucked everything up. You made me trust you, Kelley. Then you threw that right out the fucking window. You made me-“ She clenches her jaw and stops pacing, looking at the woman, angrily.

 

“You made me fall for you and then I find out that everything we talked about was bullshit. Then you leave me in there by myself and I thought ‘oh, maybe I’ll be better off without her.’ But you know what? I fucking missed you! You were gone for one fucking night and I missed you. Carli looked me dead in the eye. Dead in the eye.” She repeats, motioning to her neck. Kelley looks at her, eyes wide. “You wanna know how I felt in that moment? I was scared. You happy? I’m fucking admitting it, I was scared. I literally felt myself _dying_ , Kelley.” Her voice begins to get shaky, while Kelley tries holding back tears. Hope regains her composure, before continuing. “Then a little blonde-headed ninja came out of nowhere and saved me and all I remember is laying on the floor. You know who I was thinking about in that moment? You.” She bites out. Kelley wipes away the stray tears that escaped.

 

“And now I’m here with a bunch of fucking men watching my every move, because someone out there is trying to kill me. So you wanna know how I feel now? I’m pissed, Kelley. I just want to go home and be left alone.” Silence fills the room, the only sound coming from Hope trying to catch her breath after her long rant. “I’m so sorry.” Kelley says, finally. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.” She repeats. “I’m not apologizing for what happened between us. It was real, Hope. You have to believe me when I say that. Everything that happened, everything we talked about, was real and I’m sorry I made you doubt that. I’m sorry for everything you went through because of me. Last night shouldn’t have happened.” Hope shrugs and looks away.

 

“You made me fall for you too, if it’s any consolation.” The freckled woman says, with an airy chuckle. Hope locks eyes with her. “And now?” She asks. Kelley wipes her face with her hands. “I feel the same way I always have, Hope. You know how I feel. I want this, that hasn’t changed.” She states, seriously. “How would it work? You can’t lose your job over me, Kelley.” Hope says, huffing, in frustration. Kelley shrugs. “Ray knows something’s up. The worst that’s gonna happen is he demotes me. I’ll still have a job at the end of the day.” Ray had already admitted that he should have set clearer boundaries for Kelley to abide by. He was so focused on solving the case, he didn’t take into account that what he was asking of his agent could result in real feelings.

 

“Come here.” Kelley whispers. Hope makes her way over, standing between the woman’s legs, Kelley’s arms wrapped around her waist. She feels a tug at her towel. She furrows her eyebrows, looking down at a smirking Kelley, who flips them around, Hope landing on her back. “What are you-“ Hope gets cut off by Kelley’s lips landing on hers. Hope sighs into the kiss and her head is swimming with emotion. Kelley straddles the taller woman, her knees placed on either side of Hope’s waist. She brings her hands to cup her face, while Hope’s fingers tangle in Kelley’s hair. Kelley slides her tongue into Hope’s mouth, pulling a soft moan from the brunette.

 

This kiss is different than the others they’ve shared. It’s slow, almost loving. Kelley’s hands slowly begin to wander. She tugs the towel loose from Hope’s body, leaving her exposed. “You’re” “wearing” “too” “many” “clothes” Hope says, in between kisses. Kelley leans back and quickly removes her own shirt. Hope reaches behind the woman and unhooks her bra. She slides off her pants and underwear in one swift motion, before returning her lips to Hope’s. Kelley slowly moves her lips down Hope’s jawline, skipping over her neck, completely, to avoid pain.

 

Her fingers trail over the woman’s skin, whispering over old scars that she hasn’t seen before. She kisses her way down Hope’s stomach, while her hands work their way over the woman’s breasts. Hope lets out a breath, as Kelley runs a finger over her nipple, before rolling it, gently, between her forefinger and thumb. Hope tangles her right hand in Kelley’s hair, while her left grasps the sheets underneath her. Kelley works slowly, her tongue exploring Hope’s body, learning what makes the woman squirm. She replaces her fingers with her mouth, sucking, gently on Hope’s nipple, pulling a deep moan from the back of her throat. She works her way lower, nipping at the woman’s hipbone, Hope’s hips bucking up, slightly, at the sensation.

 

“Please, Kell.” Hope breathes. Kelley’s eyes meet hers and she knows Hope can’t take much more teasing. She gently nudges Hope’s legs open and slowly runs her fingers through her, finding wetness and earning a light, breathy moan. She works her lips back up to Hope’s mouth, while she runs two fingers over the woman’s clit. “Fuck.” Hope sighs out, pulling away from the kiss and looking Kelley in the eye. “Please.” She repeats, her eyes desperate for some sort of relief.

 

Kelley pulls her hand away completely. Hope’s eyes widen and she lets out an uncharacteristic whimper, causing a fire to settle low in Kelley’s stomach. Kelley works her tongue down Hope’s body, stopping only to nip at her hipbones. She glances up at the brunette, who has her head tossed back. At the lack of stimulation, Hope looks down at Kelley’s questioning eyes and gives her a nod. At that, Kelley runs her tongue along Hope’s center, finding her clit. She moves herself lower, pushing her tongue inside, teasingly, earning a deep moan from the brunette.

 

“Kelley, I need you. Now.” She says, looking down at the woman, desperately. At this, Kelley loses all sense of patience. She enters one finger, easily. She keeps her mouth on her clit, sucking gently, while adding a second finger. “Oh, fuck.” Hope moans, her hips meeting Kelley with every pump of her fingers. Hope feels herself getting closer and closer. Kelley curls her fingers and sucks her clit at the same time, sending her over the edge. Her muscles contract, tightly, around Kelley’s fingers and she moans Kelley’s name, as she comes down, her body going limp. She watches as Kelley sucks her fingers clean, her eyes going dark at the sight.

 

Kelley pushes herself up to lay herself next to Hope. “Come here.” Kelley whispers, reaching her arm out. Hope hesitates, but swallows her pride and allows the woman to hold her. She places her head on her chest, allowing herself to completely relax for the first time in a long time. Kelley places a lingering kiss to Hope’s head. She’s content to lay there for as long as she can, but Hope has other ideas, as she feels a hand start wandering down her body. “Your turn, O’Hara.” Hope says, softly, as she turns her body so she’s above Kelley. She places a heated kiss to Kelley’s lips, both of them unaware of where the night will lead.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole lot of action in this chapter! This is it, guys. Thanks for sticking with me! Like I said, I'll post an epilogue. It'll probably be up on Monday.
> 
>  
> 
> Fair warning: A few deaths occur.

 

 

Kelley blinks a few times, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. She looks around, seeing the outline of Hope sleeping next to her. Sitting up in bed, she slowly regains her senses. “Put the gun down now!” She hears Rob’s voice yell from outside the door. She hears the deafening sound of gun shots popping off. _Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop._ Five distinct shots and Hope jumps awake at the sound. Silence fills the room. Kelley stands up, moving to her bag to get her gun and cell phone. She throws on a shirt and pants. “Stay there.” She states, looking at Hope, seriously. “Kell, don’t go out there.” The brunette pleads. “I’m not. I’m just gonna look.” She assures.

 

“Ray, we’ve got shots fired. I don’t have sight on Rob or Levi. I’m still in the room with Solo.” She says to her boss. She looks outside through the peep hole and from the angle, can only see what looks to be legs sticking out as if someone is sitting against the door. She sees a pool of blood forming below the body and knows that either Rob or Levi is hit. “Officer down.” Kelley whispers into the phone. Just as she’s about to return to Hope, she sees a white male approach the door, a silver 9 mm in his right hand. He grabs the feet of the agent and pulls him out of the way, bringing his face into view. Rob. Kelley backs away from the door.

 

“Rob’s hit. He doesn’t look good. Get people here now, Ray. He’s about to come in.” Kelley states, knowing that Rob has a key card in his pocket. She hangs up the phone and rushes to Hope, who’s put on her jeans and shirt, the only clothes she has with her. “Come here.” She says, motioning with her hand. Hope rushes to her. Kelley pulls her behind her and they stand against the wall, out of view from anyone who comes into the room. Voices sound from outside the door. “There’s more than one.” Kelley mumbles, her gun pointed and ready to shoot. Silence fills the room, Hope’s shaky breathing the only sound heard.

 

They hear the sound of the key card being put in and Kelley prepares herself for a fight. Kelley listens to the footsteps get closer to them and as soon as she sees the gun make its way around the corner, she launches herself into action. She grabs the gun and points it away from them, throwing the gangster off balance. “F.B.I. Drop your weapons, now!” She yells, knowing the men have already killed two agents and would have no problem killing one more. The man drops his gun in the scuffle, while the other criminal fires at her. Kelley uses the gangster as a shield and fires over his shoulder, a bullet landing between his eyes. Everything is still for a few seconds.

 

Kelley lets out a shaky breath and drops the man in her arms to the ground. She checks his pulse, just in case. “He’s gone.” She says, mostly to herself. She looks at Hope, who’s nothing short of cowering in the corner. Her eyes meet Kelley’s and Kelley sees the fear in her eyes. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s over.” She says, softly. Hope shakes her head, pointing to Kelley’s arm. The agent looks down to see she’s been hit. She must have not noticed during the scuffle. “I’m okay. It’s just my arm. I need to go out there to check on my friends. Get your things together, we’re not gonna be staying here.”

 

Kelley makes her way into the hallway and hopes to god that her friends are still alive. When she gets to Rob, she checks his pulse, finding none. She looks to her right, where she sees Levi struggling to stand up. “Hey, relax. Stop. They’re gone. They’re gone.” Kelley repeats, running to her friend. “There’s a third man.” She hears him stutter out through the pain. “What?” Kelley asks. “There’s a third man.” He repeats, hurriedly. Kelley’s eyes widen. “Stay here.” She states, before rushing back to the room. What she finds fills her body with fear.

 

“Drop the fucking gun.” Kelley growls at the man, who has the barrel of his gun placed on Hope’s temple, using her body as a shield. She makes eye contact with Hope, who’s nothing short of terrified. This is the first time Kelley’s seen the woman cry. “I said, drop the fucking gun.” The agent repeats, angrily. The man looks at her, emotionlessly, his head peeked, just barely, over Hope’s left shoulder. “You drop the gun, sweetheart.” He counters, giving her a sadistic smirk. Kelley takes a breath, her eyes focusing on her aim.

 

They stand off for what feels like minutes, when Kelley finally gets her opportunity. He leans a little bit too far to the left for a half second and Kelley takes the shot. _Pop._ One shot rings out through the hotel and both Hope and the gangster fall to the ground. Kelley rushes over, taking Hope into her arms. She wipes what she can of the man’s blood off of Hope’s face. “You’re okay. Shhhh. You’re okay.” She repeats in the women’s ear. She looks at the criminal that she’d shot. A single bullet to the top of the head. One inch to the left, it would have hit Hope. One inch to the right, it would have hit the wall. She holds her tightly, a few stray tears of her own making their way down her face.

 

“O’Hara if you’re good, say something.” She hears Ray’s voice call down the hallway. She stands up, leaving Hope for a few seconds. “Three down in here, Ray. Rob’s gone. Help Levi!” She yells. As soon as they get the okay, she hears footsteps making their way to the room. She hears the sound of EMTs working on Levi’s shoulder and taking him down to the ambulance. She helps Hope to her feet, as three agents make their way into the room, guns out and ready to fire. Once they see that Kelley’s safe, their weapons are dropped and they check on the criminals.

 

Hope’s mostly calmed herself down and watches, her arms crossed in front of her, as agents fill the room, shaking Kelley’s hand and observing the scene. “Great job, O’Hara. What a shot, huh?” One agent says, as he passes, clapping her on the shoulder. “Kelley, let’s get you to the hospital.” Ray demands, motioning for her to follow him. She looks down at her arm, she had completely forgotten that she’d been shot. “Come on.” She says to the brunette, who’s unsure of what to do. She follows, silently, as an agent drives them to the hospital. Ray had to stay back and observe the processing of the crime scene.

 

Hope waits, impatiently, in an uncomfortable waiting room chair, while Kelley’s being treated. She tries to ignore the blood that’s smeared over her clothing from Kelley’s arm. Nick, another agent, is sitting next to her, on guard, just in case the Jesters have anything else up their sleeves. After hours of waiting, she’s eventually allowed into a room to see Kelley. “Hey.” Hope says, softly, as she walks into the room. Kelley gives her a smile, which comes off as more of a grimace. “You okay?” Kelley shrugs, cringing a little bit. “Pain meds haven’t kicked in yet.” The adrenaline from the fight had covered her pain for an hour or so, but once that wore off, it came in full force.

 

Hope sighs, tiredly, and leans back in her seat. It’s just past 5 AM, the hospital slowly starting to fill with the sound of nurse’s chatter and morning check-ins. “Ray called me.” Kelley mentions, the pain medication finally starting to lessen the constant ache. Hope looks at her, expectantly. “He doesn’t care as long as it doesn’t impact my work.” She says, smiling slightly, as the drowsiness begins to kick in. Hope smiles back at her. She reaches out at grabs Kelley’s good hand. “Go to sleep.” She whispers, knowing she’s trying to force her eyes to stay open. “You too. Come here.” Kelley mumbles, moving herself over in the hospital bed. Hope stands up and carefully lays down, cuddling in close.

 

The two drift off to sleep within minutes, both of them exhausted from the night’s events. The road to freedom for Hope may be longer than either of them wants it to be, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Hope never expected to be placed in this position. She never expected to fall in love along the way. While Kelley was just trying to do her fucking job, a blue-eyed criminal stole her heart and made her question everything in her life. Now it’s up to the two of them to figure out how they’re gonna make this work, while Hope remains the most hated woman on the streets.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it! I've enjoyed writing this story and I'll miss it, for sure. I hope you enjoyed the ride!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and for your comments/kudos. They keep me motivated!

 

 

Kelley walks down the sidewalk of a busy New York street, a full grocery bag in her hand. She looks at the passing pedestrians. She surveys their faces, their demeanor, their body language. She’s become even more observant since she’s left the prison. She’s had to become an even better agent, an even better investigator. Word travels quickly on the street and she’s become just as big of a target as Hope.

 

It’s been only six months since Hope was released and not only did the pair move to the other side of the country, but they’ve moved in together. They aren’t a couple, neither of them finding a need to make it official. They’ve been avoiding the subject of their relationship, all together, putting them at a standstill. They make their way around each other, without much communication. Kelley shops for the food, Hope cooks and does the dishes, Kelley cleans. It’s become sort of a routine that they live by. They ignore the occasional locking of eyes or nervous glances that they share. Neither of them know how to start the conversation that could change the dynamic of their relationship.

 

So far, no one has bothered them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t being sought after. Ray has made it clear that she is to be on guard at all times and she’s been placed on leave until further notice. The bureau refused to allow Kelley to continue investigating dangerous criminals when she has such a big target on her back. Until they’ve investigated thoroughly enough and arrest all those involved with both gangs, she’s not to return to work. It’s difficult for the agent, whose career has been number one in her life for so long, but it’s nice to have some time to herself, some time to be with Hope.

 

She walks into the apartment and puts the groceries away, not noticing the expectant look Hope is giving her. “Kell.” She says, seriously, immediately capturing the woman’s attention. Kelley looks at her, leaning back against the counter. “Someone just threatened to kill me.” Kelley’s eyes widen. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they started receiving threats or some sort of backlash for the part that they played in the investigation, but she wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon. Normally these types of criminals are patient. They’ll wait years before getting revenge so their target doesn’t expect it.

 

“What happened?” Kelley asks, motioning for Hope to come closer to her. Hope quickly explains the phone call that she had received just over an hour ago. The man on the other line had expressed that he knows where they are and that they should expect a visit ‘soon’. Kelley instantly walks past Hope. She returns moments later with two bags. “Start packing.” She says, seriously, as she begins throwing necessities in her bag.

 

She dials Ray’s number and explains the situation. Ray expresses his concern, stating that the duo should consider going under witness protection. It’s something that had been offered to them from the moment that they had left the prison, however the pair rejected the offer. They didn’t want to have to go through the struggle of changing their names, not speaking to their loved ones for as long as the investigation went on. Now though, it might be their saving grace.

 

“A car is coming to pick us up in an hour.” Kelley says to Hope, who’s quietly packing her clothes. She nods, glancing up at her friend. “Where are we going?” Kelley sighs, knowing Hope wouldn’t necessarily like her answer. “We need to go under witness protection, Hope. We don’t have another choice.” Surprisingly, the former inmate just takes a deep breath, before nodding. “Okay.” She says, simply. Kelley nods and leaves her to pack. She knows how Hope gets when she’s placed outside of her comfort zone. She needs space.

 

Two men in black suits knock on the door soon after and they’re putting their bags in the SUV. They drive for about an hour before they arrive at a building, where Kelley assumes Ray is waiting. They go inside, where they find Ray waiting at a long, empty table. They take a seat, waiting to hear what he has to say. “Here’s the deal.” He says. “You two are married. We’re bringing you to Washington State, where you’ll live, until this mess is cleaned up. We’re in the process of getting you identification with your new names and you’ll have a house and car waiting for you there. You’re not to tell anyone about this. You’re not to speak with family. You’re gonna have to hand over anything that has your real names on it, along with your cell phones. You’ll get those items back once this ends. We’ll get you new phones that can’t be tracked. I will personally call your families to inform them of the situation.”

 

Kelley glances at Hope, who’s jaw is firmly clenched, clearly not a fan of being placed in this situation. The agent knows that Hope never really had a choice in the matter. As soon as she started telling Kelley what she knew (without knowing Kelley’s profession), she threw herself into this mess. Hope never asked for this, but she’s been understanding thus far, to Kelley’s appreciation. “When do we leave?” Kelley asks, after a few seconds of silence.

 

Hope poises herself for the flight. She’s never liked airplanes and now she’s gonna be in one for hours. Kelley sighs and plops down next to the brunette, who’s stiffly sitting in the window seat. They sit in silence, watching the flight attendant go over the safety pamphlet. “It’s gonna be okay, you know. This will only last a little while.” Kelley mentions, hoping to calm Hope’s nerves. Hope shrugs and glances out the window, watching as the workers put the luggage on the plane next to theirs.

 

“We’re supposed to be married. You kind of have to talk to me.” Kelley chuckles out, earning a slight glare from Hope. They’ve been getting along rather well lately, but arguments between the two aren’t uncommon. Hope has a hard time communicating how she feels and, therefore, shuts Kelley out. Kelley tries prying out information, which only serves to frustrate Hope. “We’re not married. We’re fake-married for a few months. We’re not even together.” Hope says, in a hushed tone. The two of them often dance around their feelings, neither of them stepping up to clarify their relationship. So they stay friends, who clearly have feelings for each other but refuse to act on them.

 

Kelley doesn’t respond, deciding that an airplane isn’t the best place for this discussion to happen. She does place a hand on Hope’s tense thigh, in an attempt to sooth the taller woman. They sit in an uncomfortable silence for the duration of the flight. Hope remains focused on her book of crossword puzzles that she had bought in the airport, while Kelley listens to music on her phone, dozing off into a light sleep. By the time they land in Washington, it’s well past sundown and the moon is shining brightly in the sky.

 

They get their luggage and trudge their bags outside, where a car is waiting for them. When they arrive at ‘their’ house, Hope’s eyes widen. “Why is it so big?” She asks, her eye brows furrowed. “We’re only two people, we don’t need all that space.” She continues, as she gets out of the car. Kelley rolls her eyes. ‘Only Hope would complain that the house is “too big”.’ She thinks, as she takes her bag out of the trunk. The driver gives them the keys to the house and takes off, leaving Hope and Kelley alone once again.

 

The duo settles in quickly, only having one bag full of clothes and other necessities that they were allowed to bring with them. The house is pre stocked with pots, pans, groceries, and anything else that they may need to use during their time in the house. They notice the rings, that they assume they’re supposed to wear, waiting for them on the kitchen table along with envelopes that contain their new IDs. After looking around the house for her, Kelley finally finds Hope in the backyard, her feet placed in the in ground pool. She silently sits next to her, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them.

 

“My family is only a two-hour drive away and I can’t even talk to them.” Hope says, softly, glancing up at the stars that shine down on them. Kelley sighs, knowing that Hope misses her family more than she’d like to admit. “I know. I’m sorry.” Kelley responds, not knowing what else she can say. They fall into another silence, leaving Kelley to try and muster up enough courage to start a conversation that’s well overdue.

 

“What is this?” She asks, softly. Hope glances at her, clearly confused by the less-than-specific question. “What?” Kelley rolls her eyes, motioning between them. “What is this? What are we?” She clarifies. Hope shrugs and looks down into the water. “I don’t know.” Kelley sighs and moves to stand up. At this point, she’s fed up with the lack of communication coming from Hope. It’s a two-way street and Kelley feels like she’s talking to a wall.

 

“Where are you going?” Hope asks, watching as Kelley walks away. “I’m done with the unanswered questions. When you’re ready to talk, let me know.” Kelley calls over her shoulder. “Wait!” Hope says, loudly enough for Kelley to hear her. Kelley freezes and turns around to face Hope, who’s now standing. “I felt like you shut down after you were shot. I didn’t know how you were feeling about everything so I gave you space. You know how I feel, Kell.” She says, walking towards the shorter woman. Kelley doesn’t respond. She thinks back to how she’s been acting the past few months. She’s been recovering from her injury and, while she’s been a little more distant than she would normally be, she also knows Hope was aware of where her stance was in all of this.

 

“You knew how I felt, don’t play that game. You’ve known all along how I feel about you.” She says, looking up at the brunette, who’s now standing in front of her. “That’s not true. Your feelings could have changed. You never tried talking to me about it either, Kell, so don’t make it seem like it’s all my fault.” Kelley rolls her eyes and turns to walk back inside, but is stopped by Hope grabbing her wrist. “I want to try this. Us. I’d like to try. I’m not saying it’s gonna work. I’m an ex-criminal and you’re a cop, it doesn’t make any sense at all. Your family will probably hate me but my family will love you and I’m sure French Fry and-“ Hopes rant is cut short by Kelley’s lips.

 

“Just shut up.” Kelley whispers against her lips, before deepening the kiss. Hope sighs into the kiss and pulls Kelley closer. Kelley pulls away. “Your chickens will love me.” Kelley states, confidently, before leaning back in. Somehow, they find their way to the master bedroom, where they formally break in the new bed. While the journey is far from over, the criminal and the cop have found their way together through the mess of gunshots and gangsters. All it takes is one shot for this all to come skidding to a halt.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I left it like this for a reason. MAYBE I'll make a 'part two' to this one. We'll see. :)


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